Prelude to the Oscars/Academy Awards

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

2012-02-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-13T01:13:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-17T04:14:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-07T00:08:00.000-08:00

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.

Iranian movie ' Nader and Simin: A Separation' To Compete In Best Foreign Language Category

2011-10-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

The Iranian drama ‘Nader and Simin : A Separation', that won top prize at the Berlin Film Festival, has been selected to represent Iran at the 84th Academy Awards. The film will be submitted in the Best Foreign Film category ahead of the Oscars ceremony on February 26. The film triumphed at the Berlin festival in February, as it won the Golden Bear award as well as top acting prizes for its entire cast.

Directed by Asghar Farhadi, the movie narrates the story of a crumbling marriage and looks at the clash connecting strict religious observance as well as the changing values of Iran's educated urban elite.

The movie is also set to be released by Sony Pictures Classics in US movie houses on December 30, in order to make it eligible to run in the Best Director and Best Screenplay categories.

‘Adaminte Makan Abu' Is India's Entry for The 84th Academy Awards

2011-10-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

National award-winning Malayalam film 'Adaminte Makan Abu', has been named as India's official entry for 2012 Oscars.

The film won 4 National Awards that includes Best Actor, Best Cinematographer, Best Background Score and Best Feature Film. The movie is directed by debut filmmaker Salim Ahamed and stars Salim Kumar and Zarina Wahab in the lead.

The premise of the film is about an old perfume seller Abu whose primary dream is to go on a Hajj pilgrimage like any devout Muslim.It is a simple story which describes human values,as it portrays how the seller struggles to collect money to go to Hajj.

Eddie Murphy Chosen As The Host For The 84th Oscars

2011-09-13T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) in the U.S. declared lately that American stand-up comedian, actor and director Eddie Murphy will host the 84th Academy Awards. The Academy Awards is scheduled to be held on February 26, 2012.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will return to its comedic host origins with Eddie Murphy in his lively and clowning role. Director and telecast producer of the Academy Awards, Brett Ratner stated that Eddie is a comedic genius as well as one of the most influential live performers ever. He explained that with his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances, especially onstage he can bring an excitement, spontaneity and remarkable heart to the show .

Oscar Hopes Are Very High for ‘The Help’

2011-08-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

The 2009 best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett narrates the story of the civil rights movement through the eyes of two African American maids in early 1960s Mississippi who begin spilling their secrets to a young white writer.

With an all-star cast and rave reviews,there are very high chances that "The Help" will charm their way into the hearts of Oscar voters.

Early reviewers have been focusing most of their praise on the two maids, played by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. The film's awards campaigners will have a hard decision when determining whether the two ladies should compete against each other as supporting actresses or place the better-known Davis in lead.

Reviews are so great for "The Help" (scoring 73 at Metacritic) that it might even compete into the races for best screenplay, director, even best picture.

84th Academy Awards Telecast To Be Produced By Brett Ratner , Don Mischer

2011-08-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Brett Ratner and Don Mischer will produce the 84th Academy Awards telecast, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president, Tom Sherak announced lately.

This is going to be Ratner's first involvement with the Oscar show; For Mischer it will be the second year in a row as a producer and as the telecast director.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on 26 February 2012 and it will be held at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center.

Tom Sherak stated that he was so impressed with Brett when he met with him to discuss the Oscar show. He added that he has an unbelievable love of film and its history and is a true student of the business of movies. He's incredibly creative and knows how to take risks that are both appealing and inspirational. He concluded that, together with Don Mischer, who just earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the 83rd Academy Awards, both of them can certainly present a fantastic Oscar show that no one would want to miss.

Oprah Winfrey Might Host The 2012 Oscars

2011-07-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

Possibilities exist for Oprah Winfrey to host the next year’s Oscar Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in February. This is based on a report brought out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS).According to the columnist Bill Zwecker, Academy honchos strongly believe that Oprah Winfrey could significantly expand the show’s audience.

In case, Oprah Winfrey accepts the hosting, then she will be the third solo female host in Oscar history, the other two women being Whoopi Goldberg and Ellen DeGeneres. Until now, there has been no sign of a statement yet from Oprah’s side to acknowledge the Oscar hosting.

If Oprah Winfrey accepts the spot as next year’s anchor for the Oscar Academy, it is expected that there will be a remark on the rise of television ratings. And it will be a new record for the increase of audience and viewers as well. For the 2011 Oscars, Oprah Winfrey was present, handing out the statuette for the best documentary host.

Madonna's Wallis Simpson Film Obtains Oscars Release Date

2011-07-08T02:14:00.000-07:00

Madonna's film regarding the relationship between American socialite Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII is being pitched for awards season glory by legendary Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

The pop singer's directorial debut "W.E" will premiere in December in the US, a timing that generally indicates a film is being prepped for an Oscars run. The Academy awards take place in March every year, but the previous months play host to a series of awards ceremonies which studios often use to hype their product before the big event at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Weinstein stated that Madonna beautifully interweaves past and present in W.E. It's a very smart film, and a stunning feature directorial debut. He also added that he was incredibly excited about this movie and that he wanted to give it a prominent release date.

AMPAS Changes Rules For Oscar's Best Picture Nominees

2011-06-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) has decided once more to modify the number of films that can be nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture.

Instead of maintaining 10 guaranteed nominees, as it has been for the last two years, the academy will permit as few as 5 nominees and as many as 10 in the category. The number will be announced at the same time the Oscar nominations are revealed in January.

The modifications seems designed to eliminate films that are nominated just to fill out a field of 10. A film will now require a minimum of 5% of first-place votes to be chosen for the best picture.

Next year's nominees are scheduled to be announced on January 24th and the ceremony is set for February 26th .

Meryl Streep And The 2012 Oscars

2011-06-07T03:34:00.000-07:00

It has been just less than three months ago that “The King's Speech” obtained the top honors at the Oscars,the 2012 race has already begun with many contenders.

On top of the list is Meryl Streep who stars as the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady". The versatile actress Meryl Streep, has racked up a record 16 Oscar nominations.Streep had won her first Oscar award for her performance in "Kramer Vs Kramer" (1979). Streep also won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her film "Sophie's Choice" in 1982. She was last nominated for the Oscars in 2009 for her performance as French chef Julia Child in "Julie and Julia". However, sadly she had lost that race for Best Actress to Sandra Bullock, who won it for "The Blind Side".

Electronic Voting To Be Used for The Academy Awards

2011-05-27T03:52:00.000-07:00

The annual mailing of the official Oscar ballots, one of the rituals in the annual Academy Awards cycle will soon be a thing of the past. Lately, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), which presents the Oscars, sent a letter advising its 6,000 voting members that an electronic system for Oscar voting will be implemented at the earliest and will positively be in effect by next year.

The letter, which was signed by Kimberly Roush, the academy’s director of membership asked its members for a personal email address which is different from anything that goes to an assistant or intermediary. Ms Roush stated that at some point, once the system is up and running, mailed ballots will be eliminated.

The much expected shift to electronic voting could have a huge impact for the awards season. By eliminating the lag time that arrives with paper ballots, which were sent through the mail, the academy’s governors could change the awards night from late February to an earlier weekend.

Nicole Kidman Allows Fans to Touch Her Oscar

2011-05-16T02:17:00.000-07:00

Nicole Kidman has said jokingly that people are welcome to visit her parents' house and touch her Oscar Award. She had won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours in 2002 and had narrated the experience as magical.

The Hollywood star was raised in Sydney, Australia during most of her childhood, and it carries an exceptional place in her heart. Hence she decided the iconic golden statue should remain at her parents' home in the city.

She told the British edition of InStyle, that it’s on the mantle of her parents' house in Sydney. People in the neighbourhood could come and touch that gold Oscar.

Remembering her childhood, the Australian actress also explained that as a little girl, Hollywood seemed like a fairy-tale place to her. Nicole recalled watching the Academy Awards on TV and compared the American movie industry to a magical, yet surreal, place.

She mentioned that as a little girl in Australia, she had watched the American film industry from afar. She added that she remembered being six or seven and watching the Oscars in her pyjamas, drinking hot chocolate, in this tiny little suburb of Sydney and that it had seemed like a faraway land, like Oz.

Her words were…There's a bit of magic involved in winning an Academy Award .

AMPAS Releases Dates for 2012 Oscars

2011-04-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

Inspite of 2011’s uninspiring affair, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced that no changes will be made to the date for the 84th Academy Awards that will be held in 2012.The Oscar Awards 2012 will be held on Sunday, Feb 26 with final ballots due on Feb 21.

Last year, the academy contemplated moving the affair up at least a month in an effort to battle the awards fatigue that has crept into the season due to manifold award shows that begin in January and carry on, practically every weekend, upto the Oscars. Eventually, the academy held off on moving up the event due to uncertainties that the NFL playoff season would get in the way and that voters wouldn't have sufficient time to see all the films before voting.Though Academy President Tom Sherak has indicated that he'd still like to push up the timing of the show, that issue has been tabled for the approaching year.

Nominations will be announced on Jan. 24 2012.

Cate Blanchett And Her Couture At The Academy Awards 2011

2011-04-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett’s Givenchy Couture gown at this year's Academy Awards, created quite a stir, leaving most people with several different of opinions. The others present for the Awards either loved it, or hated it. And Cate Blanchett spoke about her bold fashion choice with Instyle Magazine while promoting her film Hanna.

She said that majority of people get so worried about dressing for other people, on the other hand one needs to wear what one likes. In case people get it, they get it and if they don’t, then it doesn’t matter. There are so few houses that can manage to do couture,and since the red carpet is such an amazing showcase that one needs to celebrate it. She stated that the reason behind the choice of her dress that was it was very architectural and the breast piece was made all out of elastic.Additionally she said that she was really tempted to wear it due to the color combination.

Feedback of the 83rd Academy Awards

2011-03-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

The 83rd Academy Awards turned out to be quite a dull event. The audiences were not entertained and they did not enjoy as much as they did in the past years, according to a Hollywood Reporter.

In comparison to last year, the Oscar ceremony witnessed a fall of 10%. In the beginning of this year other prestigious award ceremonies such as the Grammys, the Golden Globes and others countered high ratings while Oscars just managed to make 37.6 million total viewers.

Audiences often criticized the poor presentation of young hosts James Franco as well as Anne Hathaway. The 3 hour plus event delivered a rating of 11.7 with a 11% drop in the advertiser-friendly category.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, upto now this was the worst Oscar telecast as James Franco was too detached and Hathaway as overeager.

This year, unfortunately the award winners were not new. Most of the winners had won awards in the equivalent categories in other award ceremonies earlier this year.

Anne Hathaway’s Experience of Co-hosting The Oscars

2011-03-24T03:21:00.000-07:00

Anne Hathaway stated that hosting the 83rd Annual Academy Awards 2011 with actor James Franco lately night was sheer joy from the beginning till the end.

Anne Hathaway was opening up to Oprah Winfrey when she stated that she loved the experience of working with James Franco at the Oscars bash. She added that she had a blast during the awards and that it was fun to play off James Franco with their 2 different energies.

Actress Anne Hathaway's performance at Oscar awards 2011 might have annoyed critics. However The "Love and Other Drugs" star did not seem to be least bothered about those comments.

It was reported that Anne Hathaway had misplaced her invitation and could not find her ticket at the time of the entry to the Oscars.So she was reportedly denied her entry at the Oscar’s Governors ball . Eventually, the security guard had to show the 'resolution desk', where she had to clarify about herself and enter.

Christian Bale Wins Best Supporting Actor for "The Fighter" for Oscars 2011

2011-03-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

Christian Bale won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "The Fighter" and it's his first Academy Award.The film is directed by David O. Russell.

The movie also stars Mark Wahlberg,Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. The movie centers on boxer "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) as well as his crack-addicted older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Bale). Amy Adams co-stars as Ward's tough-as-nails girlfriend and Mellisa Leo stars as Ward's and Eklund's scrappy mother.

"The Fighter" was nominated for 7 Oscars along with Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress (for both Adams and Leo).Lately in January, Bale won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.

When Brad Pitt and Matt Damon stepped out of "The Fighter" due to conflicts in scheduling, Wahlberg suggested Bale for the role. And the role brought out great results for the actor. Just as he did in 2003's "The Machinist," Christian Bale lost an unbelievable amount of weight in order to bear a resemblance to Eklund, who, at the time, was addicted to drugs.

At the age of 13, Bale was cast in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" as an English boy who is separated from his parents during World War II and is lost in a Japanese internment camp.From then on, he's received critical acclaim for several performances including portraying Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's Batman films and as the yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho."

Academy Award Winner Colin Forth Might Obtain Knighthood

2011-03-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

Oscar winner Colin Firth is reportedly in order for the utmost honour that can be bestowed on anyone. The 50 year old adored actor is being considered for a Knighthood after the royal family were so awed with his performance in The King's Speech.

A source close to the royals stated that Colin has been a huge ambassador for Britain all through his career and his insightful portrayal of King George VI has won him much admiration among the royal family and of course, the film's many fans.

While another source commented on the Queen's private viewing of The King's Speech stating that The Queen loves a good film.'The King's Speech' is close to the bone as it is a portrayal of her family in the 1930s. But she found it poignant and enjoyable. She was clearly pleased by some of the lighter moments.

Colin Firth will get to know if he has made the honours list the week before the Queen's Birthday Honors list when it is declared in June.

For the meantime Colin is set to star in My Fair Lady and will next be seen at the side of Gary Oldman when Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy opens across the UK on September 16.

The 83rd Academy Awards-The Verdict

2011-02-27T23:46:00.000-08:00

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards were hosted by actor James Franco and actress Anne Hathaway and was held at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 27,2011. The Oscars were distributed in 24 categories.It is interesting to see that "The King’s Speech" won 4 major awards. "Inception" too won 4 major awards,but it was all in the technical category."The Social Network" won 3 awards.

The winners for the 24 categories:

Best Picture: "The King’s Speech"
Best Direction: Tom Hooper for "The King’s Speech"
Best Actor: Colin Firth for "The King’s Speech"
Best Actress: Natalie Portman for "Black Swan"
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale for "The Fighter"
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo for "The Fighter"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin for "The Social Network"
Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler for "The King’s Speech"
Best Cinematography: "Inception"
Best Film Editing: "The Social Network"
Best Sound Mixing: "Inception"
Best Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for "The Social Network"
Best Original Song: Randy Newman for 'We Belong Together' from "Toy Story 3"
Best Sound Editing: "Inception"
Best Visual Effects: "Inception"
Best Art Direction : "Alice in Wonderland"
Best Animated Feature Film: "Toy Story 3"
Best Animated Short Film: "The Lost Thing"
Best Makeup: "The Wolfman"
Best Costume Design: "Alice in Wonderland"
Best Live Action Short Film: "God of Love"
Best Documentary Feature: "Inside Job"
Best Documentary (short subject): "Strangers No More"
Best Foreign Language Film: "In a Better World", Denmark

Interesting Facts Regarding Oscars 2011

2011-02-24T04:04:00.000-08:00

With the 83rd Academy Awards round the corner, its time to get to know some of the fascinating facts regarding Oscars...

Joel and Ethan Coen's remake of the Western 'True Grit' has earned 10 Oscar nominations that includes best picture. The original 1969 version of the film obtained just 2 nominations that includes lead actor for John Wayne, who won the award, and best song.

Two lead performer nominees - Jesse Eisenberg,27 ('The Social Network'), and Jennifer Lawrence,20 ('Winter's Bone') would be the youngest ever to succeed in their categories. Adrien Brody has the record for youngest lead actor for his victory for 2002's The Pianist at age 29; Marlee Matlin was 21 when she won lead actress for 1986's Children of a Lesser God.

If Colin Firth gets the award for lead actor for his portrayal as King George VI in The King's Speech, he will be the first actor to win playing a king of England since Charles Laughton in 1932-33's The Private Life of Henry VIII.

Prior to 'Black Swan', just 2 films set in the world of ballet had been nominated for the best film Oscar - 1948's 'The Red Shoes' and 1977's 'The Turning Point'.

Scott Rudin with 'The Social Network' and 'True Grit' becomes the first producer since 1974 to have 2 films in the best picture race.Previously, Francis Ford Coppola and Fred Roos had done it with 'The Godfather 2' and 'The Conversation'.

Oscars 2011 : Animated Feature Films

2011-02-16T03:32:00.000-08:00

'Toy Story 3', 'How to Train Your Dragon' and 'The Illusionist' are the entries in this incredibly strong field.

A decade ago, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) formed the Oscar for animated feature, the new category's nominees included "Jimmy Neutron : Boy Genius," a Nickelodeon-produced movie memorable for little more than its belch jokes.

Ten years since then, the competition has become much fiercer. This year, the three films competing for the prize are all significant darlings that had to beat out 2 other well-reviewed box-office hits to obtain a nomination.

The three nominees include Pixar's "Toy Story 3," the highest-grossing animated movie of all time and the conclusion of a franchise that revolutionized the way animated films are created; DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon," another computer-graphics blockbuster that set a new standard for 3-D with its extensive flying sequences; and "The Illusionist," an independently produced French film with very little dialogue that's a love letter to the fading art of hand-drawn animation.

2011 Academy Award Nominations - The Other Nominations

2011-02-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

Best Actor In A Supporting Role :
Christian Bale(The Fighter)
John Hawkes(Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner(The Town)
Mark Ruffalo(The Kids Are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush(The King's Speech)

Best Actress In A Supporting Role :
Amy Adams(The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo(The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld(True Grit)
Jacki Weaver(Animal Kingdom)

Best Original Screenplay :
Mike Leigh(Another Year)
Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson.
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson(The Fighter)
Christopher Nolan(Inception)
Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg(The Kids Are All Right)
David Seidler(The King's Speech)

Best Adapted Screenplay :
Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy(127 Hours)
Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
Screenplay by Michael Arndt. Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich(Toy Story 3)
Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen(True Grit)
Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini(Winter's Bone)

2011 Academy Award Nominations For The Main Categories

2011-01-26T22:27:00.000-08:00

The nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced on January 25, 2011.The following are the nominations for some of the main categories:

Best Picture:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Best Actor In A Leading Role :
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
James France (127 Hours)

Best Actress In A Leading Role :
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Best Direction:
Darren Aronofsky - (Black Swan)
David O. Russell - (The Fighter)
Tom Hooper - (The King's Speech)
David Fincher - (The Social Network)
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - (True Grit)

Golden Globe Vs Oscars

2011-01-18T03:10:00.000-08:00

The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards was held on January 16, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills,California. With the results of the Golden Globe Awards it is quite clear that the movie “The Social Network” is in the limelight, and people across the globe are awaiting the 83rd Academy Awards.

Here’s a comparison of the results between the Golden Globe and the Oscars for a few categories:
Best Actor: 16 of the last 26 Globe winners won the Oscar
Best Actress: 20 of the last 26 Globe winners won the Oscar
Best Supporting Actor: 15 of the last 26 Globe winners won the Oscar
Best Supporting Actress: 13 of the last 26 Globe winners won the Oscar
Best Director : 17 of the last 26 Globe winners won the Oscar
Best Picture : 18 of the last 26 Globe winners won the Oscar

Oscars Presenters for 2011 Awards

2011-01-04T03:17:00.000-08:00

The stars who will present the 83rd annual Academy Awards this year in February include Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Marisa Tomei, Oprah Winfrey producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer.

The presenters announced for the ceremony have plenty of Oscar history between them.

Halle Berry won Best Actress in 2001 for 'Monster's Ball'.

Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for 'Crazy Heart' and Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for 'The Blind Side' in 2010.

Marisa Tomei won the award for Best Supporting Actress for 'My Cousin Vinny' in 1992.

Oprah Winfrey was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 'The Color Purple' in 1985, and was an executive producer on 2009 Best Picture nominee 'Precious'.

As the 83rd Academy Awards Approaches…

2010-12-29T23:26:00.000-08:00

The Academy Awards anxiety is building as 5755 nomination ballots for the 83rd Oscar ceremony were mailed. The ballots were sent to voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS).

Ensuring that the ballots are prepared is quite a process. Prior to mailing, the PricewaterhouseCoopers's staff administers a methodical confirmation process to be sure that there are no duplicates and that nothing is missing. In addition to being counted and sorted, the ballots are numbered to assure that each one is addressed to the suitable voter.The completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, January 14, 2011.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is considered the world's paramount

movie-related organization. Its members are more than 6,000 of the most proficient men and women working in cinema.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PST in the academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.The awards for marvelous film achievements of 2010 will be presented on February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.The presentation will be telecast live in more than 200 countries.

Kevin To Cheer For The Amazing Movie 'The Social Network'

2010-12-20T03:14:00.000-08:00

"Superman Returns" star Kevin Spacey will be encouraging David Fincher's "The Social Network" at the Academy Awards as his former assistant Dana Brunetti is one of the film's producer.

The Oscar winner's producing partner Dana Brunetti went to the Oscars with Kevin Spacey a decade ago and the forthcoming year he could well be up onstage collecting gold as his Facebook film is sure to be amongst the 10 Best Picture Oscar nominees and many critics have tipped it for victory.

The Social Network is a 2010 drama film about the founder of the social networking website Facebook and its resulting lawsuits. The film was directed by David Fincher and features an all together cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Brenda Song, Max Minghella as well as Rooney Mara.

15 Semifinalists for 2010 VFX Oscar Awards

2010-12-11T02:43:00.000-08:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) recently announced that 15 films have been chosen as semifinalists for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 83rd Academy Awards. The films include:

Alice in Wonderland
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Shutter Island
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Clash of the Titans
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2
The Last Airbender
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Tron: Legacy
Unstoppable

In early January 2011, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who selected the semifinalists, will narrow the list to 7.

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the 7 short listed films on January 20. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate 5 films for the final Oscar Award.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on January 25, 2011 in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

2011 Oscars To Be Co-Hosted By Actor James Franco and Actress Anne Hathway

2010-12-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Actor James Franco and Actress Anne Hathaway to Co-Host the 2011 Academy Awards that will be held on 27 February at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

They will be the youngest hosts of the ceremony for decades, as the show's producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer look to catch the attention of a new generation of viewers to the live telecast.

Hathaway was nominated for an Oscar in 2009 for "Rachel Getting Married", while Franco is popular for his Harry Osborn role in the Spider-Man films.

The shows producers stated that James Franco and Anne Hathaway epitomize the next generation of Hollywood icons - fresh, thrilling and versatile.He also added that they hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their unbelievable talents as well as entertain the world during this event.

James Franco, 32, and Hathaway, 28, will be the youngest hosts of the show ever since the 29-year-old Goldie Hawn took on co-hosting duties in 1975.They capture from this year's successful, but older partnership of Alec Baldwin, 52, and Steve Martin 65, which attracted 41 million viewers, the maximum audience since 2005.

Best Animated Film Category - 3 Nominees To Compete For The 2011 Oscars

2010-11-22T01:45:00.000-08:00

The contest to win an Oscar for Best Animated Film will be less competitive this year.On November 15, the Academy announced that they have only acknowledged 15 films for consideration for the Best Animated Feature prize, which implies there will be only 3 nominees in the category.If there been one more film accepted, the category would have augmented to five slots.

This year's top grossers "Toy Story 3" and "Shrek Forever After" are among the competition, joined by other hits "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Despicable Me" as well as newly-released "Megamind". Other animations in the contest are "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue", "Alpha and Omega", "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore", "Idiots and Angels", "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" and "My Dog Tulip".

For the moment, the concluding 4 of the academy's 15 accepted films still need to commence a one-week run at a Los Angeles theater by December 31 to qualify for this upcoming annual awards event. The films include "Tangled", "The Illusionist", "The Dreams of Jinsha" and "Summer Wars".

Edith Head - The Costume Designer With A Difference

2010-10-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Edith Head, the prominent costume designer of Hollywood had worked on 1,131 motion pictures.During her long career,she was nominated for 35 Academy Awards and won 8 Oscars , the maximum number of Oscars for any woman in history.

She was known for her modest working style, and in contrast to many of her male contemporaries typically consulted extensively with the female stars she worked with. Due to this, she was a favorite designer for many of the leading female stars of the 1940s and 1950s including Ginger Rogers, Shirley MacLaine, Anne Baxter, Barbara Stanwyck, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.

Edith Head was responsible for some of the popular Hollywood fashion images of her day, with her costumes being worn by the most stunning and famous actresses in films. Head's influence on world fashion was across-the-board, especially in the 1950s when she started appearing on Art Linkletter's television program and writing books on fashion.

In addition to her film career, she designed Vogue sewing patterns; traveled across the country staging Hollywood fashion shows ; wrote magazine and newspaper columns; wrote two books, including The Dress Doctor (with Joan Kesner Ardmore, 1959) and How to Dress for Success (with Joe Hyams,1967) and audio taped hours of interviews in preparation for her autobiography, Edith Head’s Hollywood, co-authored by Paddy Calistro, and published posthumously in 1983.

Edith Head expired in 1981 of a progressive and rare blood disease, myeloid metaplasia, two weeks after completing work on her last film, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.

One of her quotations : You can lead a horse to water and you can even make it drink, but you can't make actresses wear what they don't want to wear.

Tough Competition For Foreign Language Film Category

2010-10-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

The Academy has obtained a record number of entries in the Foreign Language Film Category this year. 65 nations have joined the race for the 2010 Foreign Language including first-time entrants Ethiopia and Greenland.

Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew's 'The Athlete' will represent Ethiopia, whereas 'Nuummiog' has been selected as Greenland's official entry.

France, Finland, Hong Kong, Greece, Latvia, the Philippines, Peru, Mexico, Romania, Russia, South Africa and Spain are also represented in the primary Oscars list for 2011.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 25, 2011. Between now and then, the Best Foreign Film nominations will be filtered down to 5. Films from Albania, Azerbaijan, Slovakia and Slovenia will vie for Oscars gold in 2011, as Academy Awards officials close the time limit for foreign film entries.

Steve Bass to be the Production Designer for 2011 Oscars

2010-10-09T03:59:00.000-07:00

Oscar telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer stated recently that Steve Bass will be the Production Designer for the 83rd Academy Awards presentation This will be the first time the Emmy winning production designer has worked on the Oscar telecast.Mischer stated that he had collaborated with Steve quite a few times and that he is the ideal person for the approaching Oscars.He also stated that he’s an innovative creative talent who would do justice to the tradition and glamour of the Oscars and that he was truly a master at designing sophisticated and grand-scale events.

Bass had won two Emmys, in 1997 as art director of the "Centennial Olympic Games: Opening Ceremonies " and another pairing with Mischer as well as in 2005 for his production design work on The 47th Annual Grammy Awards. He has 3 added Emmy nominations for the Grammys (in 2004, 2008 and 2009) and his most recent nomination was this year for his work on the 63rd Annual Tony Awards.

'Peepli Live'-An Entry in the Best Foreign Language Film Category

2010-09-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

"Peepli Live" is the official entry from India for the Best Foreign Language Film Category at the 83rd Academy Awards. The film with a simple story is a black comedy about a debt-ridden farmer who creates a media rage when he announces that he will commit suicide so that his family can receive government aid. The subtle humour, which exists throughout the film, sends across the message of social awareness in a far more efficient way than a forlorn film would.

The film is the debut of director Anusha Rizvi, a former journalist and produced by one of India’s best and the most talented actors of Bollywood, Aamir Khan.Though the film does not consist of big-name stars in it ,it has been an instant hit with critics and viewers across the globe.

The film was released worldwide in August and screened this year at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival. For now , it’s a time of waiting for Peepli Live and all its fans as the official list of nominees for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be announced on January 25th, 2011.

An Opportunity for Oscar Fans To Win Red Carpet Seats At The 83rd Academy Awards

2010-09-16T05:02:00.000-07:00

Oscar Fans across the globe can apply online to take part in a random drawing for seats on the 83rd Academy Awards red carpet.There are just 700 seats offered along the 500-foot-long walkway that leads into the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. Those who are selected will look at and cheer Oscar nominees, presenters and other ceremony guests as they arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday, February 27, 2011. Subsequent to the red carpet arrivals, every person seated in the bleachers will be invited to watch the Academy Awards telecast at a nearby location.

The application form will be obtainable at oscars.org/bleachers. The online-only application process will close up on Sunday, September 19, at midnight ET/9 p.m. PT.

To be qualified for the random drawing, an individual must complete the application form completely. Applications need to be only submitted online. Forms cannot be returned via any other method.Applicants can register for themselves and additionally one guest. Duplicate registrations will not be acknowledged.

Those individuals who are selected in the random drawing will be intimated in late September. After that it is essential to submit additional information for security purposes prior to final approval. Eligible attendees will obtain a confirmation letter in early January with information relevant to the event.Only those people who have been pre-approved by the Academy will have access to the bleachers. Those who remain overnight to attempt admittance will not be approved entry.

In the past years, as many as around 20,000 fans have applied online for the limited number of red carpet seats.

September 1 - Final Date For Documentary Film Entries For The 83rd Academy Awards

2010-08-31T04:45:00.000-07:00

September 1, is the time limit for Documentary Filmmakers to put forward their short subject and feature documentaries to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) for consideration to be nominated for the 83rd Academy Awards.

Each finished entry form must be accompanied by supporting materials, including an English language synopsis of the film, a listing of film credits, filmographies of the director(s) and producer(s), whenever appropriate, 30 DVD copies of the film as well as proof of 7 day qualifying exhibitions.

To be qualified in the Documentary Feature category, a film must finish a 7 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 7 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 approved only if legal contracts are in place with exhibitors guaranteeing that films will complete their eligible commercial runs before the extension deadline. In those situations, the contracts and all other necessary materials must still be submitted before the September 1 deadline.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on January 25, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.Academy Awards for exceptional film achievements of 2010 will be presented on February 27, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood .

Noomi Rapace, The Actress of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' Might Be An Oscar Contender

2010-08-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Noomi Rapace, a Swedish actress who plays baffling computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in the 2009 film "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", directed by Niels Arden Oplev may be a contender for an Oscar at the 2011 Academy Awards.

Rapace has been obtaining a lot of buzz for her role, which sees her similar to a punk rocker with heavy eye makeup as well as multiple piercings, that Hollywood studios have already begun to invite her for parts in upcoming blockbusters Sherlock Holmes 2 with Robert Downey Jr. and Mission Impossible 4 with Tom Cruise.

Rapace, is being compared to Marion Cotillard, a French actress who was moderately unheard of in Hollywood until she won an Oscar in 2008 for her depiction of singer Édith Piaf in the film La Vie en Rose.

The nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards would be announced on Jan. 25, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. and the Oscar Awards ceremony will be held on Feb. 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

In the intervening time, a remake of the film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is being produced that will star Rooney Mara in Rapace's role and Daniel Craig as journalist Mikael Blomkvist.

In the film, which is based on the first book in a crime novel Millennium Trilogy written by Stieg Larsson, Salander helps Blomkvist deal with a freelance assignment by an elderly businessman who wants to unearth what happened to his grand-niece.

Robert F Boyle

2010-08-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Robert Boyle,the well-known Hollywood production designer worked on more than 80 films as art director or production designer, synonyms for the work he once defined as "being responsible for the space in which a film takes place."

Robert Boyle's major motion picture credits include "The Birds"(1963), "Winter Kills" (1979), "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982),"Private Benjamin"(1980),"Portnoy's Complaint" (1972),"The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968),"In Cold Blood"(1967),"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"(1967), "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming" (1966) as well as the original "Cape Fear" (1962).

He is known to have who created some of the most outstanding scenes and images in cinematic history - Cary Grant clinging to Mount Rushmore in “North by Northwest,” the bird’s-eye view of the seagull attack in “The Birds,” the colorfully ramshackle shtetl for “Fiddler on the Roof” - died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 100.

Robert Foyle is a 4 time Academy Award Nominee for art direction. He received his honorary Oscar in 2008. At the 2008 Academy Awards, as his list of credits was read out loud, he stepped onto the stage to a loud applause to obtain a special Oscar for his life’s work in art direction.

He passed away recently on August 1 of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Hopes are High for “Inception” in the 2011 Oscars

2010-07-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

It appears to be an inevitable conclusion that Christopher Nolan's twist-your-brain-until-it's-a-pretzel thriller "Inception" is going to get some Oscar love,though at this point the Academy Awards seems to be months away.

Christopher Nolan has yet to win an Oscar, though he was nominated earlier for writing "Memento." On the other hand ,there were some who thought that he was overlooked for his direction of "The Dark Knight."

There are high hopes that Inception is going to get recognition (and possibly wins) in virtually every technical category : editing, sound mixing, sound editing, art direction, cinematography and positively visual effects. A nomination for best score could happen as well.

All in all , a nomination/win of around 10 is expected. With its blend of technical magic and intellectual drama, "Inception" stands poised to become the "Avatar" of the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony.Except that with fewer blue people and a plot that's far less standard than what James Cameron came up with.

We need to wait until next year to see if this dream of Inception winning the maximum awards at the Oscars would be a reality !

2011 Oscar Predictions for the Best Picture Category

2010-07-22T04:33:00.000-07:00

February 2011 might seem like a long, long time away, but that doesn't signify that the Oscar season hasn't kicked into gear. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) announced lately 3 new electees to their Board of Governors, together with latest Oscar-winner, director Kathryn Bigelow and the next Oscars ceremony's producers, Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer.

Together with this , there are rumors as to who will host (probably Ricky Gervais) and a possible move to January.Also here are some daring predictions as to which 10 films will receive Best Picture nominations.

Toy Story 3
Inception
Another Year
The Social Network
The Fighter
Love and Other Drugs
The Way Back
Conviction
The American
True Grit

All the Best to all these movies.

Academy Awards Extends the ‘Visual’ Effects Category to 5

2010-07-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS),for decades has offered three films for consideration for Best "Visual" Effects at the Academy Awards. But from the 83rd Annual Academy Awards , there will be five nominees in this category.

In finalizing the rules for the 2011 Oscar event and broadcast at its June 22nd meeting, the AMPAS Board of Governors elected to increase the list from three to five, the most noteworthy rule change to come out of that meeting.

Only once in 1979 were actually 5 movies recognized, though there was an option to include upto 5 nominees in the nomination. Between 1980 and 1995, 2 or 3 movies could be nominated. But by 1996, rules were changed so that exactly 3 could be nominated.

But the new Visual Effects nomination number is not the only alteration to come out of the June 22nd meeting.In another Tweak,AMPAS has reduced the eligibility for Best Animated Feature Film nominees from 70 minutes to 40 minutes.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday,February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be telecast live on the ABC Television Network.

Academy Awards- In January for the year 2011?

2010-06-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well…most of us might still be relishing the moments of oscar 2010, but the schedule for Oscar 2011 could undergo a makeover.

There are reports that there's a possiblity that 2011 Academy Awards could be shifted to January after the discussion at the Board of Governors meeting of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.In its 82 year history, the ceremony typically is held either last weekend of February or a few weeks afterward in the last week of march.

It could be a smart move for the awards perhaps making it the first most important (it is the most important)awards of the season, with SAG Awards(Jan 30th) and BAFTA'S (Feb 13th). The move can be seen as a major challenge to the Golden Globe Awards to increase that glamorous spot.

For the fans it maybe good news, but for film studios & voters it will put a ceiling on the time they have for voting as well as mean screeners will have to be posted earlier. In the era of several movies been rescheduled for copious reasons it could mean many of the 'major' releases who target the voting period to be released may have to think again releasing on a different date. Movies like Coen Brother's True Grit remake, Sofia Coppola's Somewhere both December release dates for USA may need to change this.

2011 Oscars are still currently been scheduled for 27 February and American Beauty Producer and TV Producer Don Mischer have been confirmed to produce the oscar ceremony.

Oscar Winning Documentary 'The Cove' Faces Serious Protests

2010-06-12T03:45:00.000-07:00

The Cove, an Oscar-winning documentary dealing with the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, is creating serious fuss as it finally secures a release in Japan

Protests by fisherman from the town of Taji, Wakayama, Japan, the location of the annual dolphin cull, dissuaded Japanese distributors from releasing the film into cinemas. In an attempt to tackle the protesters , Unplugged Pictures, which took on the doc, agreed to pixel-out fishermen’s faces in the Japanese version, but the temper has only increased as the June 26th release date approaches. Street protests as well as sabotage threats have insisted two theatres to cancel bookings of the film.

The rage has now intensified to right-wing activists, who say the film is unpatriotic. The Society to Seek the Restoration of Sovereignty stated that the work deliberately distorts Japanese people’s food culture, and depicting this will hurt countless people’s feelings.

Ric O’Barry,a former dolphin trainer on the TV show Flipper, whose crusade against the cull encouraged The Cove ,is reasonably disturbed. He stated that its not right that a minority of extremists could take this right away from them.Also doing so is an apparent threat to democracy.

Also,the protest has now encouraged a counter campaign by 50 film directors and journalists.Well..looks like the publicity is not likely to damage The Cove’s commercial prospects.

The Best Oscar Speeches for 2010

2010-06-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

Just like the Oscar Awards, the Oscar speeches are the ones that everyone looks forward to while receiving the awards.Inspiring and true oscar speeches are the ones that actually move the audience while watching the academy awards.

Here are the some of the Best and Splendid Oscar Speeches made this year by the winners:

Screenwriter Mark Boal Receiving the Oscar Award for Best Picture for The Hurt Locker:
"We had this fantasy of making our film our way with the talent that we hoped to have, and hopefully, we would find a distributor and somebody might even like the movie.So to be standing here, this was really, truly, honestly never part of anything we ever imagined in our wildest dreams."

Sandra Bullock Receiving the Oscar Award for Best Actress for the Blind Side:

"Did I really earn this, or did I just wear ya'll down?What this film was about for me, which are the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from.I thank my Mother for not letting me ride in cars with boys until I was 18, because she was right I would have done what she said I was gonna do."

Jeff Bridges Receiving the Oscar Award for Best Actor for Crazy Heart:

"Thank you,Mom and Dad.They loved show biz so much and I feel an extension of them. You know, this, this is honoring them as much as it is me."

Pete Docter Receiving the Oscar Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Up:

"Boy, never did I dream that making a flip book out of my third grade math book would lead to this.Thanks so much to Disney and to Pixar Animation Studios for believing in this oddball film."

Kathryn Bigelow Receiving the Oscar Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker:

"I would not be standing here if it wasn’t for Mark Boal, who risked his life for the words on the pageand wrote such a courageous screenplay that I was fortunate enough to have an extraordinary cast bring that screenplay to life. I’d just like to dedicate this to the women and men in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world. And may they come home safe."

Elinor Burkett Receiving the Oscar Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for Music by Prudence:
"In a world in which most of us are told and tell ourselves that we can’t.Liyana, the band behind this film, teaches us that we’re wrong. Against all odds they did, so we can."

Mo’Nique Receiving the Oscar Award Best Supporting Actress for Precious:

"First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics.Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey because you touched it, the whole world saw it."

Juan José Campanella Receiving the Award for Best Foreign Language Film for The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos):
"I want to thank the Academy for not considering Na’vi [the language in Avatar] a foreign language, first of all.And for letting us spend three great days in the company of incredible filmmakers."

Christoph Waltz Receiving the Award for Best Supporting Actor in Inglourious Basterds:
"Oscar and Penélope that’s an uber bingo".

Mo’Nique Receiving the Award for Best Supporting Actress for Precious:

"First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics.Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey because you touched it, the whole world saw it."

Best Documentary:The Cove

2010-05-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

The Cove is a 2009 American documentary film that is written by Mark Monroe and directed by former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos.It is based on the yearly killing of dolphins in a National Park at Taiji,Wakayama, in Japan from the point of view of anti-dolphin-hunting campaigner.

The film focuses the fact that the number of dolphins killed in the Taiji dolphin hunting drive is many times superior than the number of whales killed in the Antarctic.Also research has revealed that 23,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed in Japan each year in the country's whaling industry. The migrating dolphins are herded into a hidden cove where they are netted and killed by using spears as well as knives over the side of small fishing boats.Portions of the film were filmed clandestinely during 2007 using underwater microphones and high-definition cameras disguised as rocks.

In addition to winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Film, the documentary also won the U.S. Audience Award at the 25th annual Sundance Film Festival in Jan 2009.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role : Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

2010-05-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

The tag line for the movie 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' is "Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious."

Many a movies come and go. But an infrequent few arrive like gifts, sent by some cosmic messenger to stir the senses, arouse compassion and send viewers into a world made radically new by refreshed attentiveness and empathy. Such is the movie 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' which surely qualifies as the most aching, poetic and incredibly beautiful film of the year.

Mo’Nique’s performance in this movie has been much appreciated that she went on to receive the Best Actress in a Supporting Role.In this movie, Mo’Nique plays the mother to an overweight, uneducated, black 16-year-old Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe).The dysfunctional family lives in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem.

For her performance, she has won several awards including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)Award. She is the sixteenth African American actress to be given a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress,and the fourth to win.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

2010-05-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

Christoph Waltz won the Best Actor Award in a Supporting Role for the movie "Inglourious Basterds".In the movie, he portrays the character of sinister Nazi officer Standartenfuhrer Hans Landa.He is the second Austrian actor to receive the Oscars.He is also the second actor to win an Oscar for playing a Nazi, following Kate Winslet in 2009's The Reader.

The writer and director of the film Quentin Jerome Tarantino acknowledged the importance of Waltz to his film stating that “I think that Landa is one of the best characters I've ever written and ever will write, and Christoph played it to a tee.It's true that if I couldn't have found someone as good as Christoph I might not have made Inglourious Basterds”.

He was considered the favorite to win the best actor category, after having virtually swept the festival, critics' choice and guild awards.

The other four Hollywood veterans who competed for this award include Matt Damon for "Invictus," Woody Harrelson for "The Messenger," Christopher Plummer for "The Last Station" and Stanley Tucci for "The Lovely Bones."

Music By Prudence : Best Documentary Short

2010-04-26T03:09:00.000-07:00

Music By Prudence won the Academy Award for Best Documentary this year.The movie tells the story of 21-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhen who was born severly disabled with a condition called arthrogryposis.

When Prudence was born, her paternal grandmother wished her to be dead . In Zimbabwe, disabled children are occasionally believed to be the consequence of witchcraft. In intense cases, families even kill them to remove the curse from their family.

Music by Prudence narrates the path of this little girl, and her extraordinary transcendence from a world of abhorrence and superstition into one of music, love, and possibility.

After being rejected and cursed by her family,she manages to get a scholarship in King George VI School & Centre for Children with Physical Disabilities (KG6). Her life is totally transformed after joining here.She and some fellow musicians begin an Afro-fusion band called Liyana (“it’s raining” in Ndebele). All eight members of this band are disabled.

Above all Prudence teaches at KG6. She obtains a salary, room, and board.Inspite of her disabilities, she is one of Zimbabwe’s exceptional, working citizen.

The movie’s concluding scene is a concert by Liyana. The audience applauds and whistles, then the screen darkens, leaving only Prudence’s radiant, smiling face.

The movie is directed by Roger Ross Williams

Up:Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score

2010-04-16T05:16:00.000-07:00

At this year’s Oscars, the award for the Best Animated Feature and the Best Original Score won by the movie "Up".The movie directed by Pete Docter and produced by Pixar Animation Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D.

Up features the voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson, and Jordan Nagai. The movie is Pixar's tenth feature film and the studio's first to be presented in Disney Digital 3-D. This movie was also shown in Dolby 3D in selected theaters.

The movie focuses on an aged widower named Carl Fredricksen and an serious young Wilderness Explorer named Russell who fly to South America in a dwelling that is suspended by helium balloons. The film has received tremendously positive reviews, and has grossed around $731 million worldwide, making it Pixar's second-most commercially winning film, behind "Finding Nemo".

From the time of its release, Up has been commended by critics. As of October 17, 2009, Rotten Tomatoes reports that 98% of critics have granted the film a positive review, based on 252 reviews, with a review average of 8.6/10.[53] The film also is credited with holding a score of 88 on the review aggregator website Metacritic as of August 1, 2009.

An interview with the director Pete Docter can be found in this website:

http://www.movieretriever.com/blog/336/interview-pete-docter-director-of-up

Best Feature Film: The Hurt Locker

2010-04-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

The cast of The Hurt Locker include Jeremy Renner as Sergeant First Class William James, Anthony Mackie as Sergeant JT Sanborn, Brian Geraghty as Specialist Owen Eldridge, Ralph Fiennes (cameo).Directed by Kathryn Bigelow,the movie has dominated the Oscars winning 9 of the awards.

“The Hurt Locker” is all about the harsh jobs of the army men who every time play with lot of risks and how they spend every day in jeopardy. The full movie has the ground base on the examination of journalist and screen writer Mark Boal while he was stationed in Iraq on a project with the chief US army bomb defusing employees.

The movie has a documentary observance as almost all the scenes are shot with a handheld camera style. The movie is based on the lives of this bomb unit and consequently how almost every day is a choice day for the unit as they defuse deadly bombs daily.Kathryn Bigelow’s remarkable directions stick the viewers towards the unit’s every mission as they face death courageously.

The Hurt Locker is neither a illustration of the compassion towards the soldiers nor a dramatic presentation. It is a poignant drama with the psyche of the soldier who is extremely confident at each moment and tackles the situation when there remains no hope. The film depicts 'Courage is not the absence of fear but the knowledge that something else is more important than fear'.

A remarkable job by Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal and Jeremy Renner in the movie "The Hurt Locker". All the Academy awards ,this movie won were well deserved ones.

Kathyrn Bigelow : Best Direction

2010-03-29T03:15:00.000-07:00

Kathyrn Bigelow won the Oscars this year for Best Direction for her film 'The Hurt Locker'. She made history as the first woman to receive the honor for the Best Direction at the Oscars. Previously, only three other women have been nominated for this category :Lina Wertmuller for 'Seven Beauties', Jane Campion for 'The Piano' and Sofia Coppola for 'Lost in Translation'.

The Hurt Locker has won 5 other Oscars this year including Best Picture, Best Film Editing , Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Screenplay.

Kathyrn Bigelow in her acceptance speech said that This is the moment of a lifetime as she received her award from Barbra Streisand who opined the time has come.Bigelow dedicated her award to the men and women who are struggling and risking their lives, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bigelow has directed several movies in the past including 'Near Dark' in 1987 , 'Blue Steel' in 1989, 'Point Break' in 1991.She also won the Saturn Award for Best Direction in 1995 for 'Strange Days'

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side"

2010-03-24T02:12:00.000-07:00

Sandra Bullock has eventually earned the top appreciation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS),after being a part of Hollywood for more than 20 years.Sandra Bullock has won her first Oscar as the Best Actress for her performance in 'The Blind Side'. The role she played in 'The Blind Side' was an extremely challenging one.In the movie , she plays a prosperous home maker who adopts a black teenager and helps him tremendously to develop into a football star.

The first time Oscar nominee has beaten previous Oscar winners like Merryl Streep and Helen Mirren who were competing for the same honor. The other contenders include Gabourey Sidibe of 'Precious' as well as Carey Mulligan of 'An Education'.

Before winning the Oscars ,Sandra Bullock had won the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards, and the Broadcast Film Critics award which was mutual with Merly Streep.Bullock rose to prominence with her incredible performance in the 1994 box office hit, ‘Speed’. Her other box office hits includes ' While You Were Sleeping', 'Miss Congeniality', 'The Proposal' .She also earned admiration from movie critics for her supporting role in the 2004 Oscar nominated movie 'Crash'.

In her acceptance speech she said 'Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?' She thanked all the fantastic actors and actresses she's worked with, and looked forward to working with many more of them in future. In a touching moment of her speech, Bullock thanked her mother for instilling the workaholic character in her to practice,practice,practice.

In reference to her mother, Bullock closed with 'She said to be an artist, you had to practice every day, and for reminding her daughters that there's no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love. So, to that trailblazer, who allowed me to have that. Thank you.'

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

2010-03-22T02:30:00.000-07:00

Jeff Bridges won the Oscars this year for the Best Actor Award in a Leading Role for his role in ‘Crazy Heart’. In the movie , he portrays Bad Blake, a washed-up country-western singer whose encounter with a young journalist helps him to turn his life around.He was nominated nearly 4 times previously for the Academy Awards and it’s the first he has won the honors. His first nomination at the Oscars was for 'The Last Picture Show' ,way back in 1971.

The 60-year-old veteran is one of Hollywood's most identifiable and constantly bankable actors as well as an element of an acting dynasty that includes his parents Dorothy and Lloyd as well as brother Beau.For Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges once again confirmed his skill as a musician to play the alcoholic Bad Blake, a man struggling against his interior demons as he battles to bring back his glory days.

It is said that Bridges, who remarkably played a pianist in 1989 in The Fabulous Baker Boys, initially passed on the script for Crazy Heart after realising that there was no music attached to it.But the participation of musician T-Bone Burnett developed his interest in the project and he rapidly signed on for the role. Many of Burnett's songs performed by Bridges were written with the actor in mind.

Burnett also helped Bridges flesh out his character by teaching him in the sort of music Bad would have listened to at some stage in his formative years. In a latest interview Bridges said that Burnett did a really fantastic thing by giving him a breakdown of the music Bad might have listened to growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, where T-Bone also grew up.

Lately, Bridges has appeared in several successful films, including the Oscar-nominated Seabiscuit and 2008's hit Iron Man. He will next be visible in Disney's Tron Legacy, a sequel to the 1982 film in which he also acted.Bridges is also preparing to reunite with the Coen brothers for a remake of the western True Grit, where he will enact the character of Rooster Cogburn, the role made popular by John Wayne in the 1969 original.

In his acceptance speech,Bridges said "I thank my wonderful director for his ability to instill self-confidence in his actors. Thank you my wonderful team that kept me together. I also want to thank my gorgeous wife (Susan Geston) with whom I have spent more than 33 years and also my three girls without whom I wouldn't be where I am."

At the Oscars this year…

2010-03-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

The 82nd Academy Awards began with The 82nd Academy Awards began with Neil Patrick Harris's rousing musical number, rousing musical number, after which the co-hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin came on stage. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were successful in setting a light ambience with their sense of humor.

A chief alteration in this year's show was the increase in the Best Picture category from five nominees to ten. Decades before, the category had incorporated ten nominees and then was reduced to five. The decision to once again include more nominees came in order to take in good films that ordinarily would not be chosen. This variation didn’t do much to the actual show except that ten movies were introduced for the category during the ceremony instead of five.

An additional difference was introduction of the category of Original Score was displayed with music from each nominated film being played as a choreographed dance took place in the stage. The dancing itself was visually stimulating but occasionally it did not match up well with the music being played and it made for a peculiar performance overall.

Overall, the ceremony went off apparently without a hindrance; the speeches were kept short and there were no awfully embarrassing mishaps. The ceremony seems to be moving in the direction of a more solemn show incorporating more music and dance in its place of the Oscars of old with comedic genius Billy Crystal. Every Oscar Ceremony brings new movies and new changes to the event and the 82nd Academy Awards also witnessed several modifications.

The Major Winners of Oscars 2010

2010-03-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

	Best Direction
	Kathryn Bigelow for 'The Hurt Locker'
	Best Picture
	The Hurt Locker
	Best Animated Feature Film
	Up
	Best Actress in a Leading Role
	Sandra Bullock for 'The Blind Side'
	Best Actor in a Leading Role
	Jeff Bridges for 'Crazy Heart'
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role
	Mo'Nique for 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role
	Christoph Waltz for 'Inglourious Basterds'
	Best Cinematography
	Mauro Fiore for 'Avatar'
	Best Makeup
	Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow for 'Star Trek'
	Best Documentary Short
	Music By Prudence
	Best Documentary Feature
	The Cove

And the winners of the 82nd Academy Awards....

2010-03-09T00:56:00.000-08:00

	Best Writing:(Original Screenplay)
	The Hurt Locker Written by Mark Boal

	Best Writing:(Adapted Screenplay)
	Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

	Best Short Film(Animated)
	Logorama
	Nicolas Schmerkin

	Best Short Film(Live Action)
	The New Tenants
	Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

	Best Visual Effects
	Avatar
	Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

	Best Sound Editing
	The Hurt Locker
	Paul N.J. Ottosson

	Best Sound Mixing
	The Hurt Locker
	Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

The most awaited event of the year - Oscars 2010

2010-03-05T23:07:00.000-08:00

Its that time of the year again for the Hollywood's biggest event - Oscars 2010.The event will witness stunning stars descend on the red carpet in their chic suits / flowy gowns and vintage jewellery and walk away with the golden statuettes.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be held at the Kodak Theatre on Mar 7th at Hollywood,Los Angeles and awards will be presented for stupendous performances for the year 2009.Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will be hosting this spectacular event, which is the most watched event across the globe.

Oscar Nominations for Best Picture

2010-03-04T04:07:00.000-08:00

Avatar
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
The Blind Side
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Oscar Nominations for Best Actress/Actor in a Leading Role

2010-03-01T22:14:00.000-08:00

Actress in a Leading Role

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

Actor in a Leading Role

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

Oscar Nominations for Best Actress/Actor in a Supporting Role

2010-02-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Actress in a Supporting Role

Penelope 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'

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'

Oscar Nominations for Best Cinematography

2010-02-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

Barry Ackroyd for "The Hurt Locker"
Mauro Fiore for "Avatar"
Robert Richardson for "Inglourious Basterds"
Bruno Delbonnel for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
Christian Berger for "The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)"

Oscar Nominations for Best Music

2010-02-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

Best Music(Original Song):

The Song Almost There in 'The Princess and the Frog'

Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

The Song Down in New Orleans in 'The Princess and the Frog'

Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

The Song Loin de Paname in 'Paris 36'

Music by Reinhardt Wagner
Lyric by Frank Thomas

The Song Take It All in 'Nine'

Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

The Song The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart) in 'Crazy Heart'
Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Music (Original Score)

James Horner for 'Avatar'

Alexandre Desplat for 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders for "The Hurt Locker"

Hans Zimmer for 'Sherlock Holmes'

Michael Giacchino for 'Up'

Oscar Nominations for Best Sound Editing/Sound Mixing

2010-02-12T01:38:00.000-08:00

Best Sound Editing:

Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle for 'Avatar'

Paul N.J. Ottosson for 'The Hurt Locker'

Wylie Stateman for 'Inglourious Basterds'

Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin for 'Star Trek'

Michael Silvers and Tom Myers for 'Up'

Best Sound Mixing:

Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson for 'Avatar'

Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett for 'The Hurt Locker'

Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano for 'Inglourious Basterds'

Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin for 'Star Trek'

Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson for 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'

Oscar Nominations for Best Writing

2010-02-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

Nominations for the Best Writing(Original Screenplay)

Mark Boal for "The Hurt Locker"

Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds"

Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman for "The Messenger"

Joel Coen & Ethan Coen for "A Serious Man"

Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy for "Up"

Nominations for the Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell for "District 9"

Nick Hornby for "An Education"

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche for "In The Loop"

Geoffrey Fletcher for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for "Up in the Air"

2010 Oscars to be hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin

2010-02-05T00:53:00.000-08:00

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host the 82nd Academy Awards this year. The announcement was made lately by the Oscar's telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman. Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman stated that the team of Steve and Alec are the ideal pair of hosts for the Academy Awards. Schankman also conveyed that with the Martin-Baldwin casting, they intend to restore some energy into a night that's usually thought of as serious,but serious isn't all the time the most entertaining too. Steve will display the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh celebrity for this event.

Martin and Baldwin are thoroughly excited to co-host the Oscars this year. Martin had the privilege of hosting the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows.He has also served as an anchor on the show a number of times, most lately at the ceremony in February. He is presently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in promotion of his latest album, "The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo." Steve Martin won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording, in both 1977 and 1978 . He also won a third Grammy in 2001 in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category.

Baldwin was nominated for the Oscars in 2003 for a supporting role in "The Cooler".Presently Baldwin stars as Jack Donaghy on the comedy "30 Rock", a character for which he won two Emmys in the year 2008 and 2009. He was also nominated for the Tony Awards in 1992 for his performance in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

The Oscars will be held on March 7th at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

James Cameron’s "Avatar" nominated in 9 categories for 2010 Oscars

2010-02-03T00:06:00.000-08:00

The movie Avatar directed by James Cameron has been nominated in 9 categories for the Academy awards 2010. There are high expectations that Avatar would dominate the Oscar awards 2010.Avatar is one of the most successful movies in hollywood on the box office breaking various records. Now Avatar is all set to break records at the Academy Awards after being nominated for 9 categories.

“Avatar” has been voted for categories Direction, Music (Original Score), Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects.In the Oscar awards 2009 last year, Slumdog Millionaire (directed by Danny Boyle) was the foremost hit in various categories. There are great expectations that Avatar movie will lead the final list of Oscar Awards 2010 after dominating nomination list.

"Avatar" is based on a new world in which man have extra ordinary capabilities. The movie has so far been considered the best combination of technology and creativity. The Music for the movie is composed by James Horner.

AR Rahman's song set for the Oscars

2010-01-21T04:39:00.000-08:00

Indian music maestro A.R Rahman's song Tamil "Na Na" from the film "Couples Retreat" has been nominated in Original Song category for the 82nd Academy Awards, that will be held on March 7th in Hollywood, California

This song will be competing with 62 songs from other nominated feature-length motion pictures .The final nominations will be announced on Feb 2.

"Na Na" is written by double Oscar winner A.R Rahman along with Blaaze and Vivian Chaix.Its is a very special song for AR Rehman as this is his son Alim’s debut song.Also, this is the first time Rahman has composed music for a Hollywood film.

"Couples Retreat" is directed by Emmy nominated Peter Billingsley and stars Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Kristin Davis. The story revolves around four couples who go to a tropical-island resort for a vacation.

Oscar Predictions 2010 - Best Supporting Actor & Actress

2009-12-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Alfred Molina - An Education
Paul Schneider - Bright Star

Best Supporting Actress
Mo'nique - Precious
Anna Kendrick - Up in the air
Rachel Weisz - The lovely Bones

Oscar Predictions 2010 – Best Actress

2009-12-16T02:59:00.000-08:00

Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Penelope Cruz - Broken Embraces
Gabourey Sidible - Precious
Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Charlize Theron - The Burning Plain
Hilary Swank - Amelia

Oscar Predictions 2010 – Best Actor

2009-12-16T02:49:00.000-08:00

Colin Firth – A single Man
Matt Damon – The Informant
George Clooney – Up in the Air
Michael Stuhlbarg – A Serious Man
Viggo Mortensen – The Road
Daniel Day-Lewis – Nine
Robert Duvall – Get Low
Clive Owen – The Boys Are Back
Mark Wahlberg – The Lovely Bones
Ben Whishaw – Bright Star
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Sharlto Copley – District 9

Nominees for Visual effects Oscar

2009-12-15T01:28:00.000-08:00

Fifteen films have been selected by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences under Visual effects category for 82nd Academy Awards. In January, this list will be narrowed down to seven. Then finally three films will be selected to compete for VFX Oscar.

Fifteen films competing for VFX award (in alphabetical order):

* Angels and Demons
* Avatar
* Coraline
* A Christmas Carol
* District 9
* G-Force
* GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
* Sherlock Holmes
* Star Trek
* Terminator Salvation
* Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
* 2012
* Watchmen
* Where the Wild Things Are

82nd Academy Awards

2009-12-15T00:26:00.000-08:00

The 82nd Academy Awards will take place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Show will be hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

Nominees for 82nd Academy Awards will be announced live on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:38 a.m. at Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California by Tom Sherak, president of Academy of Motion Picture Arts

Best Director for 2010-Predictions

2009-10-24T02:06:00.000-07:00

The oscars would be held within a few months,yet most movies buffs are just trying their luck to predict the nominees for the Best Director Category:

Here are a few of them:

Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker"

Peter Jackson for "The Lovely Bones"

Joel and Ethan Coen for "A Serious Man"

Jason Reitman for "Up in the Air"

Michael Haneke for "The White Ribbon"

2010 predictions for the Academy Awards

2009-08-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

It might be too early to even mention the possibilities of who would be winning the Oscars, the forthcoming year but unofficial reports has just come up with some guesses:

The most awaited categories in this award is that of the best actor and best actress:

Best Actor:
Jamie Foxx in 'Soloist': Foxx plays the character of a schizophrenic destitute man who also is a Juilliard-trained violin prodigy.

Johnny Depp in 'Enemies': Johnny Depp portrays the role of a notorious criminal ‘John Dillinger’.

Adam Sandler in 'People':Its said that comedies don’t have a place at the Oscars,but the trailer of this movie suggests that Adam Sandler might change the cliché.

Brad Pitt in 'Basterds': Though the title of the movie sounds extremely silly,Brad Pitt isan actor constantly surprising his fans.

Mark Wahlberg in 'Lovely Bones': Mark Wahlberg exhibits his talents in this movie, and has every chance of accomplishing an Oscar.

Best Actress:
The guesses for this category seems to be only a couple..probably others would join in sooner or later...

Meryl Streep in 'Julie & Julia':Meryl Streep plays the character of the late chef Julia Childs.Meryl Streep,as usual always has a place at the Academy Awards.

Hilary Swank in 'Amelia':Hilary Swank with her portrayal of the pilot ‘Amelia Earhart’ has every possibility of achieving success in this category.

10 nominees for The Best Picture Category for Oscars,2010

2009-07-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Including double the nominees for the Best Picture category for the Oscars next year….Will it attract more viewers for the Oscars next year?Will this culminate in a tough competition for the judges for selecting the best picture?Whats the final event gonna be like is hard to predict!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis made the announcement on June 24th that the Oscars for 2010 to be held on March 7 will have 10 nominees for the Best Picture category. This decision was taken as the governors of the academy board felt that there were several other films which deserved to be in this category.The other qualified movies like 'Dark Knight', 'Iron-Man', 'Happy-Go-Lucky', 'The Wrestler' were left from this category due to the restriction of 5 nominees. Also,there was a debate with 'The Dark Knight', not being chosen in the Best Picture Category as it had sold $1 billion in tickets worldwide.

This brings us back to the days of 1943 when, for the 16th Academy Awards,there were 10 nominees for the best picture.The movie 'Casablanca' won the Oscars for the Best Picture that year.Those in Hollywood might feel that this is a brilliant opportunity for their movies to vie in this category.

On February 2nd, 2010 , movie buffs and those awaiting the Oscars will get to know the nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards.

Katharine Houghton Hepburn

2009-07-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

" Everyone thought I was bold and fearless, and even arrogant... but inwardly I was always quaking.. I've never cared about how afraid I may have been inside-I've always done what I thought I should."

- Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Houghton Hepburn is a well-known actress who has to her credit, won the maximum number of Best Actress Oscar awards.She had won the award 4 times and she was nominated 12 times for an Oscar.

The movies for which she won Oscars include the following:
-The Morning Glory in the year 1933
-Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner in the year 1967
-The Lion in Winter in the year 1968
-On Golden Pond in the year 1981

Born in 12 May 1907,she was one of the finest American actresses of her times and has also been successful in television and stage shows.Known to be a maverick,she had deep interest in sports for instance canoeing,,tennis,diving as well as riding her bike.

John "Jack" Joseph Nicholson

2009-06-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Known by most people as Jack Nicholson,he was a versatile personality in Hollywood.He is known to be an efficient director,producer and a well known face as an actor.He is one of the male actors who has won the maximum number of oscars.He has been nominated 12 times for an Oscar.He won 2 oscars for Best Actor and 1 for his role as a Best Supporting Actor.The movies which earned him the oscars include the following:

'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest': Best Actor in the year 1975
'Terms of Endearment':Best Supporting Actor in the year 1983
'As Good as It Gets':Best Actor in the year 1997

Nicholson is also the first actor to have earned the Stanislavsky Award at the Moscow International Film Festival in the year 2001.

The longest acceptance speech at the Oscars

2009-06-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

A very interesting fact-The longest speech ever made while receiving the Oscar.

The longest speech was delivered by Greer Garson in 1942 when she won the Best Actress Award for her performance in the movie "Mrs Miniver".The speech lasted for 5 mins 30 seconds and it is recorded in the Guiness Book of Records.Here full name is Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson and she was an extremely popular actress during the time of Second World war.In the movie, Mrs. Miniver she portrayed a character of a strong British woman,as a wife and a mother.

The longest movie to win an Oscar

2009-06-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Russian movie "War and Peace" (Voyna i mir in Russian) is the longest movie with a duration of 8 hours to win the Academy Awards.The movie which won the award in the year 1968 for the Best Foreign Language Film film is based on Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace.

Man on Wire-Philippe Petit

2009-05-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

This years Oscar award for the best documentary was won by 'Man on Wire'.This unique documenary directed by James Marsh was based on Philippe Petit's high-wire walk between the Twin Towers(WTC) in New York in 1974. The documentary is based on Philippe Petit's book titled 'To Reach the Clouds'.This book was recently released with the new title 'Man on Wire'.

Philippe Petit,born on August 13,1949 is a French high wire artist,who is also well known for being a magician,unicyclist, pantomime.This documentary 'Man on Wire' is an awesome one as James Marsh has creatively converted the original events into a dramatic one.Though Philippe Petit ,while accepting his oscar speech said that he was delivering the shortest acceptance speech..he went on to add a few more words after that ! Here is his speech:"The shortest speech in Oscar history. Yes! But I always break the rule. I break my own rules very quickly..."

Immediately after receiving his Oscar ,Petit balanced the Oscar statue upside down on his chin!

Acceptance Speeches at the oscars this year

2009-05-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

Danny Boyle(SlumDog Millionaire)-Best director

"My kids are too young to remember this, but I swore that if this miracle ever happened, I would receive it in the spirit of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, so that's what that was about. Thanks everyone at Warner Brothers for passing on to Fox Searchlight. Just to say to Mumbai - unending, unseparable, unborn - all of you who helped us make the film and all of you who didn't, thank you so much. You dwarf even the sky."

Kate Winslet (The Reader)-Best actress winner

"I'd be lying if I hadn't made a version of this speech before. I must have been eight-years-old, and this [holds up statue] was a shampoo bottle. Well it's not a shampoo bottle now. I'd like to thank my family who are in this room somewhere. Dad, whistle so I know where you are. I'd like to thank my fellow nominees. These goddesses. Thank you so very much. I think we all can't believe we are in the same category as Meryl Streep at all."

A R Rahman(Slumdog Millionaire)-Best song:

"All my life I've had a choice of hate or love, I chose love and I'm here. God Bless"

Penelope Cruz(Vicky Cristina Barcelona)-Best supporting actress:

"It's not going to be 45 seconds, I can tell you that [and it certainly wasn't]. Has anyone ever fainted, because I might be the first one? I can not talk about great characters without mentioning my friend Pedro Almodovar. I want to dedicate this to my parents and friends..."

Wall-E

2009-05-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth) won the Best Animated feature at this year's Academy Awards.The movie is directed and written by Andrew Stanton and produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The story is about the distant unrealistic future, where a robot named Wall E is left to clean the earth that is covered by garbage due to the products that is sold by multi-national Buy N Large corporation.WALL-E is left in this earth with just another pet cockroach. Later another robot named Eve is sent to the earth to find if there is life existing on earth still.Life turns wonderful for WALL-e when he falls in love with Eve.Eventually both their lives turn adventurous when they move into outer space ,which turns the destiny of robots and human beings.

The special feature of this film is that majority of the characters in this film do not have human voices. Instead these characters communicate through body language as well as special robotic sounds which are designed by Ben Burtt. This animated feature was released in US and Canada in June 2008.The movie was ranked #1 at the box office during the opening weekend.For Pixar film it marked their third highest grossing film in the opening weekend. The movie is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

Smile Pinky

2009-05-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Smile Pinky is a very touching documentary about the struggles of a 8 year old kid who was born with a cleft lip.Its a 39 minute duration documentary which was short in Rampur Dahaba village in Uttar Pradesh,India.

This documentary depicts how the kid Pinki Kumari(in picture) was being considered a social outcast by her village people due to her deformity.This little child was not even allowed to attend school by her village people.Since her parents were hailing from an extremely poor family ,they were unable to afford the surgery to correct the cleft problem.Rescue comes their way when Pankaj,a social activist from the "Smile Train" met Pinki's parents.Smile Train which is an international charity was found in 2000 and aims at helping children with cleft lips.The social activists of Smile Train move from village to village and gather poor children with cleft lip problems and perform surgeries for them free of cost.The documentary also shows how after the surgery, performed by Dr Subodh Kumar Singh,Pinky Kumari is able to lead a normal childhood like the rest of the children in her village.

Directed by Emmy-nominated producer Megan Mylan,the film is shot in Bhojpuri and Hindi with English subtitles.The film which won the Best Short Documentary at the Oscars this year has raised immense hopes for children who are born with cleft lips.

A.R Rehman

2009-04-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

A.R Rehman(Allah Rakha Rehman) known as the Mozart of Madras became the first Indian to won 2 Oscar awards.He was awarded 2 oscars for Original Score and Best Song for "Jai Ho" of "SlumDog Millionaire" at the recently held Oscar Awards Ceremony.He delivered a touching speech while receiving the Oscar Award - "All my life, I have had a choice of love and hate. I chose love and I am here." He is India’s finest music maestro and most of his compositions reflect a fusion of east and west .A.R Rehman has won 4 National Film Awards,Malaysian National Award, Mauritius National Award, Malaysian National Award,honorary award from Stanford University for contributions to global music including the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.

Rehman began his career as a jingle composer in the year 1987. He has composed jingles for ads of brands like Parry's,Asian Paints,Airtel,Titan,Airtel etc.With 5 years in the field of advertising he composed around 300 jingles.In the year 1989, Rehman started his own music recording and mixing studio Panchathan Record Inn in the backyard of his house.This small studio has now become one of India's most well equipped and advanced recording studios.In the year 1992,he got his major career break with the Tamil film "Roja" which made him immensely popular. He received the Indian National Award for the Best Music Composer for this movie, the first time ever by a debutant.From then on he has composed brilliant music for the Indian film Industry.

He was born to K. Shekhar and Kasturi (alias Kareema Begum) in the year January 6,1966 in Chennai (Madras),India.He is married to Saira banu and has 3 children - Khatija, Rahima and Amin.

Penelope Cruz Sanchez

2009-04-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Penelope Cruz Sanchez, a Spanish actress won the best supporting actress award at the Oscars this year for her outstanding performance in the movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". She is the first female actress from Spain to win an Oscar.Her career started with Spanish movies like "Jamon, jamon" and "Belle Epoque" in the year 1992.Both these movies won critical acclaim for her as a young actress. She is appreciated immensely for her performances in the movies "Volver" and "Todo sobre mi madre". She has delivered outstanding performance in many American movies too.

She was born in Madrid,Spain in April 28,1974 and had learnt classical ballet for 9 years at Spain's National Conservatory.Penelope Cruz speaks four languages such as Spanish, Italian, French and English. She is also known to have contributed sufficient time and money to charity.In one of her interviews, during the year 2007,she even expressed her wish to adopt a child in future.

Heath Andrew Ledger

2009-03-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

Heath Andrew Ledger was posthumously awarded the Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his outstanding portrayal of his character Joker in the movie The Dark Knight. He is the first actor to win an award posthumously. His family accepted the awards on behalf of him at the Academy Awards. He also won the Golden Globe Awards for the same role which was received by the director of the movie Christopher Nolan.

The Dark Knight is the sequel to the 2005 film "Batman Begins", directed by Christopher Nolan. The character of Joker is a psychopathic criminal mastermind who is unstoppable in his venture to outwit and humiliate Batman.

In order to prepare for his role, Ledger locked himself in a hotel room in London for nearly a month, formed a diary and experimented in various ways for his voice. He did this in his quest for an iconic voice and laugh. Eventually he ended up in being a psychopath, as a person with almost no conscience to his acts. The director Christopher Rolan had given him complete freedom to create his role. Ledger found his role very exciting as there were no boundaries to what his role can create.

Heath Ledger was an Australian film and Television actor. He had performed several roles in Australia during the 1990’s .By 1998 he moves to the US in order to improve his film career.His acting career began with the Australian Television Series "Clowning Around (1992)".

Few people are aware that Heath Ledger had "KAOS" tattooed across one wrist. They stood for Kate, Ashleigh, Olivia and Sally which are the names of his mom and three sisters.He died on January 22 2008, at the age of 28, due to an accidental overdose of toxic combination of prescription drugs.

Kate Elizabeth Winslet

2009-03-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

Well known and much appreciated for her character Rose DeWitt Bukater in the 1997 American movie Titanic, Kate Winslet has won this year's Best Actress Award at the Oscars .She won this award for her character Hanna Schmitz in the movie The Reader.

The others nominated in the same category were:

Anne Hathaway – "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie - “Changeling”
Melissa Leo - “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep - “Doubt”

Her acting career began with the TV series Dark Season in 1991. From then,on there has been no looking back for this talentedactress.Another critically acclaimed performance of hers was the portrayal of her character Marianne Dashwood in the movie Sense and Sensibility in 1995 .

Kate Winslet was the youngest actress to receive 2 oscar nominations at the age of 22.Now at the age of 33,she still remains the youngest actor of either sex to be credited with 6 nominations.

Sean Penn

2009-03-11T03:25:00.000-07:00

This year’s prestigious award for Best Actor at the Oscars went Sean Penn for his outstanding performance in the movie “Milk”. The movie in total won 2 awards,the other one being Best Original screenplay for Dustin Lance Black Sean Penn had won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his outstanding performance in the film “Mystic River” in the year 2003.Sean Penn , to his credit has been nominated five times in the Oscars for Best Actor .

Sean Penn in addition to being an actor,is a film maker as well as political activist. His debut film was “Taps” in the year 1981 where he played the character of Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer.His directorial debut began in the year 1991 with the movie “The Indian Runner” . This film was based on Bruce Springsteen’s song “Highway Patrolman”. From then on he has directed 3 more films “The Crossing Guard”- 1995, “The Pledge” - 2001, and “Into the Wild” - 2007.

The Ceremony of the 81st Academy Awards:

2009-03-03T23:28:00.000-08:00

This years oscars which was held on Feb 22nd at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles turned out to be the event of greatest significance.The show's producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon had committed to offer a totally different kind of show and it was indeed one of the best telecasts of oscar history.The ceremony was telecast live on the ABC Television Network as well as in more than 200 countries worldwide.

The greatest surprise was the opening song and dance medley by the first time host Hugh Jackman(in picture).The medley was a spoof of all the pictures which were nominated for the night.It was greatly appreciated by the audience and it received a standing ovation from them.The acting awards were presented in a unique manner as the previous 5 Oscar winners in each category took turns and introduced the nominees and applauded their work.

The best picture award was given to "SlumDog Millionaire" .In total this film received 8 awards.Sean Penn won the best actor award , Kate Winslet won the best actress award while Penelope Cruz won the best supporting actress award.Late Heath Ledger was given the oscar for the best supporting actor.Actor, writer , director and producer Jerry Lewis was honoured with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The others oscar winners:

2009-02-25T00:35:00.000-08:00

Best Original Song :
'Jai Ho'-A.R Rehman and Gulzar
'Slumdog Millionaire'

Best Film Editing:
'Slumdog Millionaire'
Chris Dickens

Best Documentary - Short Subject:
'Smile Pinki'

Best Cinematography:
'Slumdog Millionaire'
Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Costume Design:
'The Duchess'
Michael O'Connor

Best Sound Mixing:
'Slumdog Millionaire'
Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

Best Sound Editing:
'The Dark Knight'
Richard King

Best Live Action Short Film:
'Spielzeugland (Toyland)'

Best Animated Short Film:
'La Maison de Petits Cubes'

Best Makeup:
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Greg Cannom

Best Art Direction:
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

Best Visual Effects:
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

And the winners of the 81st Academy Awards....

2009-02-24T00:40:00.000-08:00

	Best Picture: 'SlumDog Millionaire'
	Best Director: 'SlumDog Millionaire'
	Best Original Score:A.R Rehman 'SlumDog Millionaire'
	Best Actor: Sean Penn 'Milk'
	Best Actress: Kate Winslet 'The Reader'
	Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger 'The Dark Knight'
	Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
	Best Animated Feature Film: 'Wall-E'

Best Foreign Film:
'Departures'
Japan

Best Original Screenplay:
'Milk'
Dustin Lance Black

Best Adapted Screenplay :
'Slumdog Millionaire'
Simon Beaufoy

Best Documentary Feature:
'Man on Wire'

The 81st Academy Awards

2009-02-19T22:08:00.000-08:00

The most awaited event at the beginning of this year, the Oscars, the 81st Academy awards is to be held at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Feb 22nd.The actor Hugh Jackman would be hosting this year’s Oscars for the first time.

Here are some of the movies nominated for the oscars:
Changeling, The Visitor, Doubt, Milk, Frost/Nixon, The Dark Knight

Lets keep our fingers crossed until the 22nd.

The movie : "SlumDog Millionaire"

2009-02-18T02:13:00.000-08:00

"SlumDog Millionaire",as the name suggests is a story of how an orphan boy from the slums in Mumbai, goes on to win the Indian version of the popular game show "Who wants to be a Millionaire"(Kaun Banega Crorepati).The story line is taken from the book 'Q and A' written by Indian author Vikas Swarup.

This British drama is directed by English born Danny Boyle and co directed by Lovely Tandon.The film is set in India and Indian actors and actresses have been cast in this movie.This film has been much talked about as it has been nominated for 10 awards at the Oscars.In addition it has won 5 Critics Choice awards and 7 BAFTA Awards.The lead role of Jamal Malik is played by Dev Patel and the game show host Prem Kumar is played by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor.The character of the orphan girl Latika is played by a model Freida Pinto.

The film has been nominated for the following categories : Best Picture,Best Adapted Screenplay – writer for Simon Beaufoy, Achievement in Directing for Danny Boyle,Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing,Best Sound Mixing,Best Original Score for A.R Rehman , Best Original Song -2 Nominations for the songs 'Jai Ho' and 'O Saya'.

The Curious case of Benjamin Button

2009-02-13T23:40:00.000-08:00

This movie indeed stirs our curiosity to watch the movie.Nominated this year for nearly 13 Academy Awards,is altogether a totally different story.The nominations include Best Actor for Brad Pitt,Best Picture,Best Director for David Fincher as well as Best Supporting Actress for Taraji P. Henson. It was released on December 25th in USA.

The movie is an inspiration from the 1921 short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald,which was of the same name.Scott Fitzgerald, was inspired from a quote by Mark Twain: "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18."

It depicts the life of a man named Benjamin Button who is born in his eighties and ages backwards with weird consequences.The story is set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918 to the 21st century, following the unusual journey of life of Benjamin Button.

Oscar delays......Did you know?

2009-02-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

There have been couple of times when the oscars have been delayed.

In 1938 the oscars were delayed by nearly a week due to heavy flooding in Los Angeles.

In 1968,again after a long gap,due to the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr,the date of the oscar was shifted from April 8th to April 10th.The funeral was held on April 9th.

In 1981,the oscars was delayed by 24 hours due to an assasination attempt on President Reagan.

In 2003,the Red Carpet area was restricted to the area in front of the theatre door and the bleachers were excluded because of the US troop invasion of Iraq which happened very recent to the Oscars.

Movies with maximum number of nominations and Oscars:

2009-02-05T22:01:00.000-08:00

All About Eve(1950) - This drama was nominated for 14 oscars and it won 6 of the awards

Ben Hur(1959)- A great movie was nominated for 12 oscars and won 11 awards

Titanic(1997)-This fantasic movie was nominated for 14 oscars and it won 11 awards.

Lord of the Ring: Return of the King(2003) - This fantasy film was nominated for 11 oscars and it won all 11 of them