Jasmine Madatian named as the New Communications Director of AMPAS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) has named Jasmine Madatian, a veteran Hollywood publicist, as their latest communications director. Madatian will be in charge of helping all things promotional, from their annual Oscar Awards to overseeing their ongoing promotion campaigns. 

The Academy's chief marketing officer Christina Kounelias divulged the news in an official statement adding that Jasmine is a smart, pioneering and highly regarded communications strategist with strong relationships throughout the film and media industry. Her understanding of the mission and enthusiasm for the Academy is what in actuality sets her apart and makes her such a great fit for this position. 

Madatian comes from Disney, where she lately developed the marketing campaigns for films including "Enchanted," "The Proposal," and "Alice in Wonderland."


 

Oscar Venue Renamed As Dolby Theatre, Awards Show To Continue In Hollywood

The Hollywood venue that hosts the Academy Awards has been renamed the Dolby Theatre in a new sponsorship deal. 

The 3,400-seater building, which has been the abode to the annual Academy Awards ceremony since 2002, was in the past known as the Kodak Theatre. 

Previously this year a judge granted Eastman Kodak permission to end the $74 million, 20-year naming rights deal it signed in 2000. 

Dolby has approved a 20-year contract with theatre owners the CIM Group. 

Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS) stated that the Academy's Board of Governors believes that the home for the awards is in Hollywood.He also added that it is where the Academy and the motion picture industry are rooted.He said that they were pleased to have a new agreement with CIM that will continue their long-standing partnership. 

Kevin Yeaman, of British-founded audio technology specialists Dolby, stated that the partnership enables the theatre to be not only the world stage for the Academy Awards, but for Dolby innovations for decades to come.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Academy Award Ceremony To Be Shifted Outside Hollywood

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eddie Murphy Chosen As The Host For The 84th Oscars

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 .

AMPAS Changes Rules For Oscar's Best Picture Nominees

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 .

AMPAS Releases Dates for 2012 Oscars

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.

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.

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

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 .

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.