Academy Award Ceremony To Be Shifted Outside Hollywood

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

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

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

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

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

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

Irish Short Film "Pentecost" Shortlisted For Oscars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Madonna's Wallis Simpson Film Obtains Oscars Release Date

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.

Meryl Streep And The 2012 Oscars

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

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.

Academy Award Winner Colin Forth Might Obtain Knighthood

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.

Oscars Presenters for 2011 Awards

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'.

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

"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

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

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

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".

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

"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.

Hopes are High for “Inception” in the 2011 Oscars

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

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.