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Academy Awards

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For the first time in 30 years, the 2019 Oscars ceremony will be held without an official host after Kevin Hart’s withdrawal.

The head of ABC Entertainment, which airs the Academy Awards ceremony, said it would instead highlight celebrities presenting the trophies.

Reports had suggested the ABC Entertainment was struggling to fill the role – one of the toughest in US show business.

In December, Kevin Hart pulled out of hosting this year’s ceremony following a controversy over old homophobic tweets.

The comedian said he did not want to be a distraction and that he was “sorry he had hurt people”.

The Oscars host usually delivers an opening monologue as well as being responsible for many of the ceremony’s memorable comedic moments.

As well as the main host, the ceremony also usually enlists an array of movie stars to present the individual statuettes.

ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said this year’s ceremony on February 24 in Los Angeles would “just have presenters host the Oscars”.

The decision was taken after Kevin Hart’s withdrawal, she said.

Karey Burke added that “the mystery” hanging about this year’s event “has been compelling”, proving that viewers were keen to watch it.

Oscars 2019: Full List of Nominations

Oscars 2019: Kevin Hart Steps Down from Hosting Ceremony Following Homophobic Tweets

A number of Academy Awards ceremonies have had no host. The last time, in 1989, proved highly controversial, not least due to an opening number featuring Rob Lowe and an actress dressed as Disney’s Snow White.

A group of leading Hollywood figures wrote an open letter after the ceremony, calling the telecast “an embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire motion picture industry”.

The Walt Disney Company also filed a legal action against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, accusing the organization of copyright infringement.

The role of anchoring the Oscars has thrown up problems for a number of hosts since then. The Hollywood Reporter has described it as “the least wanted job in Hollywood”.

The controversy about Kevin Hart’s tweets and the choice not to replace him with a single host follows a difficult few years for the Academy.

The 2017 ceremony was rocked by the so-called “Envelopegate” scandal, in which La La Land was wrongly named best picture instead of the actual winner Moonlight.

Plans to introduce a popular film award category were shelved last year following widespread criticism.

The Academy has also been stung by the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, prompted by the all-white line-ups in the four categories for acting in 2015 and 2016.

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Jimmy Kimmel has been tapped to host the 2017 Oscars, it has been announced.

It will be the first time Jimmy Kimmel has fronted the ceremony, which takes place on February 26, 2017.

Jimmy Kimmel addressed Kanye West's profanity-studded Twitter rant during Thursday’s monologue

Jimmy Kimmel addressed Kanye West’s profanity-studded Twitter rant during Thursday’s monologue

Jimmy Kimmel has previously hosted the American Music Awards and has twice fronted the Emmys – in 2012 and 2016.

Previous presenters of the Oscars include Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, Seth MacFarlane, Whoopi Goldberg and Neil Patrick Harris.

Since 2003, Jimmy Kimmel has hosted his own nightly hour long talk show – Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Regular features on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show include celebrity guests reading out insulting tweets about themselves and parents filming their children’s reaction to being told all of their Halloween chocolate has been eaten.

Jimmy Kimmel has also made cameo appearances in movies such as Pitch Perfect 2 and Ted 2, as well as TV shows including Sesame Street and Entourage.

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Jackie Chan will receive an honorary Academy Award for his “extraordinary achievements” in film.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also voted to give honorary Oscars to British editor Anne V. Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary maker Frederick Wiseman.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs described the recipients as “true pioneers and legends in their crafts”.

All of them will be honored at the Academy’s Governors Awards on November 12.

Jackie Chan, 62, has starred in dozens of martial arts movies in his native Hong Kong, including Police Story, Armor of God and their various sequels.

The actor went on to have huge international success with hits like Rumble in the Bronx, animated movie Kung Fu Panda and the Rush Hour franchise.Jackie Chan honorary Oscar 2016

In addition to starring and performing his own stunts, Jackie Chan has written, directed, produced and choreographed many of his movies.

According to the Academy, Jackie Chan has spent four decades “charming audiences with his dazzling athleticism, inventive stunt work and boundless charisma”.

Jackie Chan posted a message on Facebook thanking his family, his fans and the Academy: “I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to the Oscars for giving me this award of encouragement and recognizing my achievements while I’m still <<young>>.

“I’m absolutely honored to be the first Chinese in history to receive this award.

“To be honest, making an action movie isn’t easy. It’s normal for us to get hurt and bleed. Many of us have sustained a body full of injuries and I’m no exception to the case.

“That’s why I’d like to share this honor with my brothers of the JC Stunt Team who have been with me through good times and bad times over the many years, and I’d like to share this award with every action movie star from all over the world!”

Jackie Chan, who has never been nominated for a competitive Academy Award, added that he had set himself a goal that the honorary statuette “won’t be my last one”.

He said: “I don’t think the Oscars have a rule where you can’t win another golden statue after receiving an honorary award, right?”

Born in Reigate in Surrey in 1925, Anne V. Coates has spent more than 60 years as a film editor and won an Oscar for her work on 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia.

Now 90, she recently worked on Fifty Shades of Grey, the successful film version of EL James’s international best-seller.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1927, Lynn Stalmaster has had a hand in casting more than 200 feature films, including The Graduate and Deliverance.

Frederick Wiseman, meanwhile, has made almost a movie a year since 1967, among them his three-hour 2014 epic about the National Gallery in London.

The honorary Oscars are intended to celebrate “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy”.

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The 2016 Oscars ceremony will be hosted by Chris Rock, the telecast producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin have announced on October 21.

Chris Rock previously hosted the 77th annual Academy Awards in 2005, when the reception to his opening monologue and some controversial jokes was mixed.

“I’m so glad to be hosting the Oscars,” the actor and comedian said.

“It’s great to be back.”

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016.

The 2015 ceremony, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, had the lowest Oscar ratings for six years, and were down 16% on the previous year, when Ellen DeGeneres had been at the helm.

“Chris Rock is truly the MVP of the entertainment industry,” said David Hill and Reginald Hudlin.

Photo AP

Photo AP

“Comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, documentarian – he’s done it all. He’s going to be a phenomenal Oscar host. “

“We share David and Reggie’s excitement in welcoming Chris, whose comedic voice has really defined a generation,” said Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

“He is certain to bring his amazing array of talents to this year’s show.”

In 2005 – the year that Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby won best picture – Chris Rock received a standing ovation before uttering a word and began by ordering the assembled A-listers to “sit your asses down”.

Chris Rock’s recent film roles include I Think I Love My Wife, Head of State, Death at a Funeral and the first three films in the blockbuster Madagascar series, as the voice of Marty.

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Academy Awards organizers have put new rules in place to ensure fair campaigning in Oscar’s music categories.

Academy members are no longer allowed to contact voters via any means to promote their song for nomination.

Members will also not be allowed to attend a live performance of eligible songs unless attached to a screening.

It comes following the disqualification in the original song category this year after it emerged a songwriter had emailed voters to consider his song.

Oscar organizers have outlined new regulations for music categories

Oscar organizers have outlined new regulations for music categories

Alone Yet Not Alone, the title track from an independent Christian-faith film, beat other high-profile contenders to secure a surprise place on the shortlist.

It was later discovered Bruce Broughton – a former Academy governor and current executive committee member – emailed at least 70 of the 240-member music branch during the nomination period to bring his song to their attention.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said at the time Broughton had undermined “the integrity of the voting process”, adding he “took advantage of information that few other potential nominees are privy to”.

Bruce Broughton denied any wrongdoing and said he was “devastated” at the disqualification of his song, which he co-wrote with Dennis Spiegel.

Four compositions were left competing for the award, which was eventually won by Let It Go – written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez – from Disney animation Frozen.

The second rule change involving the attendance of live performances is understood to address the number of concert events which were held this year to highlight songs and scores.

Such events featured Idina Menzel singing Let It Go, Pharrell Williams performing Happy and the music from Inside Llewyn Davis.

Although the events will still be permitted to take place, music branch members will not be allowed to attend.

The next Oscars will be held on February, 22 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

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This year’s Oscars ceremony, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, was watched by 43 million TV viewers in the US.

According to broadcaster ABC, it was the biggest audience for the Academy Awards in a decade.

The audience was 6.4% bigger than last year when the event was fronted by Seth McFarlane, according to ratings figures from Nielsen.

The most recent biggest TV audience was 43.6 million in 2004, when The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King cleaned up.

The most watched Oscars ceremony on television came in 1998, when the triumph of Titanic with 11 Academy awards was seen by 55.3 million viewers.

This year’s Oscars ceremony, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, was watched by 43 million TV viewers in the US

This year’s Oscars ceremony, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, was watched by 43 million TV viewers in the US

Last year’s choice of irreverent host Seth McFarlane drew criticism from some quarters. Ellen DeGeneres – hosting the event for the second time – was seen as a safer pair of hands.

Ellen DeGeneres received mixed reviews for this year’s ceremony, but her tenure was seen as a step away from recent attempts to draw in younger audiences.

Despite this, data from ratings trackers Nielsen suggested that there was an increase of 1% in the 18 to 34-year-old audience bracket.

Regardless of the critics’ views, Ellen DeGeneres’ staged a “selfie” photograph with several of the stars in the audience which was a hit on social media, setting the record for the most re-tweets on Twitter – more than two million.

Ellen Degeneres declared she wanted to break the record for the most re-tweeted photograph in history, featuring herself surrounded by the front row talent – and best supporting actress winner Lupita Nyong’o’s brother.

She broke the record within the hour, and in doing so, broke Twitter’s servers too.

Twitter said that 14.7 million Oscar-related tweets were sent worldwide during the telecast.

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12 Years A Slave took home the award for Best Picture at Sunday night’s Oscars.

Oscars 2014: Full list of winners

Best Picture
12 Years A Slave

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave)

Best Make-up and Hairstyling
Dallas Buyers Club (Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews)

Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)

Best Animated Feature
Frozen

Best Live Action Short Film
Helium (Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson)

12 Years A Slave took home the award for Best Picture at Sunday night's Oscars

12 Years A Slave took home the award for Best Picture at Sunday night’s Oscars


Best Visual Effects
Gravity (Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, Neil Corbould)

Best Film Editing
Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger)

Best Animated Short Film
Mr. Hublot (Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares)

Best Documentary Feature
20 Feet from Stardom

Best Cinematography
Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)

Best Production Design
The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn)

Best Sound Editing
Gravity (Glenn Freemantle)

Best Original Score
Gravity (Steven Price)

Best Original Screenplay
Her (Spike Jonze)

Best Sound Mixing
Skip Lievsay, Niv Adirj, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro (Gravity)

Foreign Language Film
The Great Beauty, Italy

Best Costume Design
Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Best Original Song
Let It Go (Frozen)

Best Adapted Screenplay
12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)

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12 Years a Slave has won best picture award at this year’s Oscars ceremony.

However, space drama Gravity won the lion’s share of awards the 86th Academy Awards.

Gravity‘s Alfonso Cuaron became the first Latino to win the best director award, adding to the film’s six Oscars for technical achievement.

Cate Blanchett was named best actress for her portrayal of the heroine in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine.

Matthew McConaughey won the best actor Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club.

It is the second consecutive year the best director and best picture prize have been awarded to different films.

Alfonso Cuaron praised the “transformative” power of film and singled out the film’s star Sandra Bullock as “the soul, the heart of Gravity”.

Gravity – which took five years to complete, and owes much to the technical prowess of British visual effects specialists – also won Oscars for film editing, sound mixing, sound editing, cinematography, visual effects and original score.

Steve McQueen, the British director of 12 Years a Slave, dedicated the best picture Oscar to “all those people who have endured slavery”.

Based on a true story, it follows the life of a free black man – Northup – who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana.

Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o won the best supporting actress award for her film debut as slave worker Patsey.

The Kenyan actress paid tribute to her character and thanked her for her “guidance”.

The film won a third Oscar for John Ridley’s adapted screenplay.

Spike Jonze collected the best original screenplay for Her. His first film as sole writer and director stars Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls in love with a computer operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

12 Years a Slave has won best picture award at this year’s Oscars ceremony

12 Years a Slave has won best picture award at this year’s Oscars ceremony

As predicted, Matthew McConaughey took the best actor prize for his role as real life rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof, who smuggled HIV drugs into the US.

Matthew McConaughey, formerly a rom-com regular whose roles centred on his good looks, lost 50 lbs to play Ron Woodroof in the low budget indie drama.

Best actress winner Cate Blanchett paid tribute to her rivals, including Judi Dench – who was not at the ceremony – acknowledging “the random and subjective” nature of awards ceremonies.

Matthew McConaughey’s co-star Jared Leto won the first Oscar of the night, picking up best supporting actor for his role as transgender woman who becomes Ron Woodruff’s business partner and unlikely friend.

In an emotional speech Jared Leto thanked his mother, who accompanied him to the awards, “for teaching me to dream” and dedicated his award to “those who have ever felt injustice because of who they are, or who you love”.

Dallas Buyers Club also picked up a third award for make-up and hairstyling – with the transformation of Jared Leto and his co-star, Matthew McConaughey, rumored to have been achieved on a budget of $250.

Frozen, which recently tipped $1 billion at the global box office, scored two Oscars.

The 3D film about an icy princess and her sister was named best animated feature film, with its song, Let It Go – performed by star Idina Menzel – winning best original song. It is loosely based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

The Great Gatsby also picked up two Oscars, for costume design and production design. The awards were picked up by Baz Luhrmann’s partner Catherine Martin.

But there were no awards for David O. Russell’s American Hustle, which had 10 nominations, including nods in all the acting categories. Nor were there any awards for Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.

The first British win of the night came for Tim Webber and his team from London-based company Framestore for their visual effects work on Gravity.

Tim Webber paid tribute to his team, Gravity actors George Clooney and Sandra Bullock and director Alfonso Cuaron “for having the vision to create this breath-taking film and the audacity to make it happen”.

The second British win of the night went to director Malcolm Clarke, who won an Oscar for his documentary short The Lady in Number Six: Music Saved My Life.

The film follows Alice Herz-Sommer, the oldest known survivor of the Nazi Holocaust and an accomplished pianist. Paying tribute to Alice Herz-Sommer, who died last week at the age of 110, he praised “her extraordinary capacity for joy and amazing capacity for forgiveness”.

Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony, for the second time, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Academy Awards – main winners:

Gravity – 7 awards

12 Years a Slave – 3 awards

Dallas Buyers Club – 3 awards

Frozen – 2 awards

The Great Gatsby – 2 awards

Blue Jasmine – 1 award

Her – 1 award

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The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles starting at 8:30 p.m. ET on various networks.

History:

Created as a non-profit organization in 1927, the original Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was made up of 36 producers and film-makers. Led by MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer, its membership included such notables as Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd and Mary Pickford. It now boasts more than 6,000 members, a quarter of them actors.

The first Academy Awards were presented on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with an audience of about 270 people.

No-one could have predicted when the first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 that it would grow to the huge event it is today.

The cost of guest tickets for that night’s ceremony was $5. Fifteen statuettes were awarded, honoring artists, directors and other personalities of the filmmaking industry of the time for their works during the 1927–1928 periods; the ceremony ran for 15 minutes.

Bleachers:

Fans desperate to see Hollywood’s movers and shakers arriving can do so by sitting on the specially constructed benches erected outside – provided they register at least six months in advance – camping out overnight was banned after 9/11. The lucky 700 selected at random are told to arrive at 07:00 on Oscars day, 10 hours before the fun begins.

Campaigns:

Every year, the studios launch elaborate advertising campaigns to persuade Academy members to nominate their pictures. Eligible voters are bombarded with DVDs known as “screeners”, occasionally accompanied by lavish promotional material. But new rules introduced in 2012 banned members from attending parties organized by film companies after the nominations are announced.

Dolby:

For years, the Oscar oscillated between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center and the Shrine Auditorium near the University of Southern California. From 2002 to 2012, the Oscars were held at the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, although in 2012, Kodak ended its sponsorship deal with the Oscars shortly before the event. In May this year, it changed its name to the Dolby Theatre in a new sponsorship deal and the Oscars will continue to be held there for the foreseeable future.

Envelope:

The time-honored practice of opening the golden envelope to reveal the winner’s name is a pivotal part of Oscar lore. It has not always been so though. For the first 10 years, the Academy informed the press ahead of time in order to accommodate their print deadlines. After one newspaper broke the embargo in 1939, the decision was made to keep the results a closely guarded secret.

Fashion:

The Oscars have thrown up more than their fair share of fashion faux pas over the years. Who could forget the bizarre Indian headdress sported by Cher in 1986, or Bjork’s swan gown in 2001, Gwyneth Paltrow was criticized by fashionistas in 2002 for appearing sans bra in a transparent top, as did Celine Dion in 1999 for wearing what appeared to be a back-to-front white jacket.

Goodie bags:

Presenters and performers at this year’s Oscars can be expected to be handsomely rewarded for their trouble with a complimentary gift package thought to be worth up to $100,000. Previous freebies have included such luxury items as mobile phones, high-definition televisions, designer clothes and holiday vouchers.

Honorary Award:

In addition to its competitive prizes, the Academy has a history of presenting special Oscars to ageing stars, industry veterans and well-regarded individuals who have been inexplicably passed over. Recipients include Peter O’Toole, Kirk Douglas and Robert Redford, while regular host Bob Hope was awarded no less than five honorary gongs between 1941 and 1966. The 2013 recipients included Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury and Steve Martin.

The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1959

The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 6, 1959

In memoriam:

A regular feature of each Oscar telecast is a montage paying tribute to those notables who have died since the last ceremony. A Room With A View screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, visual effects maestro Ray Harryhausen, and actors Peter O’Toole and Joan Fontaine are likely to be among those remembered this year.

Jean Hersholt:

The actor and sometime president of the Academy whose name was attached after his demise in 1956 to an honorary award recognizing individuals “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry”. Recipients over the years have included Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra and, inevitably, Bob Hope. However, since the mid-1980s, it has been doled out sparingly.

Kathryn Bigelow:

The first woman to win a best director Oscar for The Hurt Locker in 2010. The film also won best picture.

Los Angeles:

The Oscars cause a mighty traffic jam each year as up to 1,200 stretch limousines queue up to disgorge their celebrity cargo. In 1988, the congestion was so bad outside the Shrine Auditorium that presenters and nominees, among them Fatal Attraction‘s Glenn Close, were forced to ditch their cars and jog down the street to make it on time.

Marksmen:

Police snipers are routinely positioned on adjacent rooftops, the area is declared a no-fly zone and all the local manhole covers are welded shut. That said, none of this stopped a pair of pranksters getting through in 2002 with the help of a fake limo pass.

Nominations:

All films must have at least a token US release before December 31 in order to qualify for the following year’s awards, but it isn’t until the nominations are announced some six weeks before the ceremony that the Oscars race can start proper. The nominees are revealed 05:30 LA time by the current Academy president, usually accompanied by a previous recipient.

Oscar:

How the Academy Award of Merit came by its more familiar sobriquet is still a subject for debate, though most people attribute it to Academy librarian Margaret Herrick’s 1931 remark that the award bore a striking resemblance to her uncle. The nickname was in common usage by 1934, but it took another five years for it to be officially adopted.

Presenter:

Bob Hope holds the record here, having hosted the ceremony 19 times over the course of 39 years. Johnny Carson was a fixture in the 1980s before Billy Crystal inherited his mantle. This year chat show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres will host the Oscars for a second time, replacing Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, whose close-to-the-bone stint divided critics last year.

Quips:

Part of the host’s job is to poke fun at the Oscars themselves.

“Two hours of glittering entertainment spread out over four hours” is how Johnny Carson described them, while Billy Crystal likened them to Titanic: “We are huge, we are expensive and everyone wants us to go faster.”

In 2010, Steve Martin deadpanned: “This show was so long that Avatar now takes place in the past.”

Red carpet:

Organizers need 16,000 square feet of the stuff outside the Dolby Theatre for the annual fashion parade that, for many, is the highlight of the Oscar ceremony. The hallowed carpet is lined with seven-foot Oscar statuettes that are each given a new lick of gold paint before the event; some 60,000 flowers are grown especially for the various floral displays.

Speeches:

The record for the longest acceptance speech is held by Greer Garson, who droned on for over five minutes in 1943. John Mills probably made the shortest: in keeping with his Oscar-winning role as a mute simpleton in Ryan’s Daughter, the British actor said nothing at all.

Television:

The awards were televised for the first time in 1953, attracting the largest audience in commercial TV’s five-year history.

But it was not until 1966 that they were broadcast in color, prompting host Bob Hope to quip: “Now we can see the losers turn green.”

In 2005, the ABC network was so worried Chris Rock would swear it imposed a five-second time delay.

Upsets:

There have been more than a few of these over the years. Steven Spielberg was gutted when Shakespeare in Love was named best movie in 1999 ahead of Saving Private Ryan, while even Juliette Binoche was shocked when she beat Lauren Bacall to the best supporting actress gong in 1997.

Vanity Fair:

Most of the winners make a token appearance at the Governor’s Ball before heading off to a swankier bash. And they don’t come more exclusive than the Vanity Fair party hosted by editor Graydon Carter, which for the last few years has taken place at the Sunset Tower Hotel.

War:

During World War II, the Academy replaced its gold-plated statuettes with plaster ones and outlawed formal wear, while concerns over the situation in Iraq were reflected by a toned-down ceremony in 2003.

“You probably noticed there was no red carpet tonight,” said host Steve Martin:

“That’ll send them a message!”

Youngest winner:

Tatum O’Neal holds the record as the youngest Oscar-winner after she was named best supporting actress for Paper Moon at the age of 10. Anna Paquin came close when she picked up the same award for The Piano at 11.

But the youngest Oscar recipient is Shirley Temple, given an honorary award at 6 for “her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment.”

Zero:

The number of awards Steven Spielberg received for The Color Purple after being nominated for a whopping 11 Oscars in 1986 – an ignominious achievement only matched by ballet drama The Turning Point in 1978. In 2011, True Grit bit the dust, failing to win a single prize despite 10 nominations. The same had happened to Gangs of New York in 2003. Richard Harris was nominated seven times without a single win, but the record is held by sound mixer Kevin O’Connell, who has yet to win an Oscar, despite being nominated 20 times.

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The 86th Academy Awards air Sunday, March 2 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

Ellen DeGeneres hosts the Academy Awards ceremony for a second time.

Ellen DeGeneres hosts the Academy Awards ceremony for a second time

Ellen DeGeneres hosts the Academy Awards ceremony for a second time

She first helmed the show back in 2007 when The Departed won Best Picture.

Ellen DeGeneres is also the anti-Seth MacFarlane, who made a lot of people mad with his frat boy humor when he hosted last year.

American Hustle and Gravity are tied for the most nominations with 10 each, while 12 Years a Slave has nine nods.

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Talk show host Conan O’Brien revealed his idea about a perfect Oscars ceremony and he also tipped this year’s big winner.

“I think it [Oscars ceremony] should be about 20 minutes long and it should end in a big fight out in the parking lot.”

Conan O'Brien tipped Gravity to win best picture at this year’s Academy Awards

Conan O’Brien tipped Gravity to win best picture at this year’s Academy Awards

Conan O’Brien, who was being honored at the annual Oscar Wilde awards in Santa Monica, tipped Gravity to win best picture.

“I liked all the floating around. We saw it in 3D, which was fun. I threw up six times but I’ve never enjoyed myself more,” he told BBC.

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The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards have been handed out at a ceremony in Beverly Hills.

The awards honor the men, women and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant, outstanding and lasting ways to motion pictures.

Each year’s honorees are celebrated at a formal dinner held two weeks prior to the Oscar ceremony. The Sci-Tech Awards presentation has become a highlight of the Academy Awards season.

The awards, which are held separately from the Oscars ceremony on March 2, recognize more than 50 of the most creative behind-the-scenes operators.

Joshua Pines, who worked on the film Coraline, was honored for developing image-processing mathematics to standardize color.

He called the evening “this year’s annual Winter Olympics for geeks”.

The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards have been handed out by Kristen Bell and Michael B. Jordan

The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards have been handed out by Kristen Bell and Michael B. Jordan

The awards were handed out by Kristen Bell and Michael B. Jordan.

Christopher Nolan, the British director of The Dark Knight, also made a surprise visit later in the evening.

The writer-director accepted the film lab Oscar, and described film processors as alchemists who “(turn) silver and plastic into dreams”.

The Oscar will be on permanent display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles when it opens in 2017.

Twenty-one awards were handed out, the Gordon E. Sawyer Award went to Peter W. Anderson for his contributions to 3D technology.

Award winner Dan Piponi, who was part of the team which pioneered simulating smoke and fire in films such as Avatar and Puss In Boots, said: “Nobody told me if I wanted to get an Academy Award, I should study mathematics.”

On March 2, the technical achievements of films such as Gravity, Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness will be celebrated at the full Academy Awards ceremony.

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The list of nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced in Los Angeles on by Chris Hemsworth and Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

Best picture

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best director

Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave

Alexander Payne, Nebraska

David O Russell, American Hustle

Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best actor

Christian Bale, American Hustle

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best actress

Amy Adams, American Hustle

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock, Gravity

Judi Dench, Philomena

Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best supporting actor

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

June Squibb, Nebraska

Best animated feature

The Croods

Despicable Me 2

Ernest and Celestine

Frozen

The Wind Rises

Best foreign language film

The list of nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced in Los Angeles on by Chris Hemsworth and Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs

The list of nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced in Los Angeles on by Chris Hemsworth and Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs

 

The Broken Circle Breakdown

The Great Beauty

The Hunt

The Missing Picture

Omar

Best Film Editing

Gravity

American Hustle

12 Years A Slave

Captain Philips

Dallas Buyers Club

Best Production Design

Gravity

12 Years A Slave

American Hustle

Behind The Candelabra

The Great Gatsby

Best Costume Design

American Hustle

12 Years A Slave

The Grandmaster

The Great Gatsby

The Invisible Woman

Best Make-up and Hairstyling

Dallas Buyers Club

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

The Lone Ranger

Best Sound Editing

Gravity

Captain Philips

All Is Lost

Rush

Inside Llewyn Davis

Best Visual Effects

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Iron Man 3

Pacific Rim

Star Trek Into Darkness

Gravity 

Best Animated Short Film

Everything I Can See From Here

I Am Tom Moody

Sleeping With the Fishes

Best Adapted Screenplay

12 Years A Slave

Captain Philips

Philomena

Behind The Candelabra

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Best Cinematography

Gravity, Emmanuel Lubezki

The Grandmaster, Philippe Le Sourd

Nebraska, Phedon Papamichael

Inside Llewyn Davis, Bruno Delbonnel

Prisoners, Roger A. Deakins
Best Original Screenplay

Gravity

American Hustle

Blue Jasmine

Nebraska

Inside Llewyn Davis

Best Original Score

Gravity

Philomena

Her

Saving Mr. Banks

The Book Thief

Best Documentary Feature

The Act Of Killing

Cutie And The Boxer

Dirty Wars

The Square

20 Feet From Stardom

Best Documentary Short Subject

Cavedigger

Facing Fear

Karama Has No Walls

The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Prison Terminal: The Last Days Of Private Jack Hall

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This year’s Oscar nominations are to be announced later today.

12 Years a Slave, Gravity and American Hustle all expected to be in the running for best picture.

But the rest of the shortlist is up for grabs, amidst one of the most competitive fields in years.

Experts predict a full slate of 10 nominees, with Dallas Buyers Club and Captain Phillips among frontrunners.

Actor Chris Hemsworth and Oscars chief Cheryl Boone Isaacs will reveal the list at 05:38 local time.

The announcement will be streamed live on this page, with coverage starting at 05:30.

12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen’s hard-hitting historical drama, picked up the top honor at the Sunday’s Golden Globes, winning best film drama.

It is also the bookmakers’ favorite to win the Oscar for best picture, but David O. Russell’s crime caper American Hustle is rapidly closing in, after picking up three Globes, including best film in the comedy or musical category.

Its female stars Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence also picked up best actress and supporting actress prizes.

Jennifer Lawrence won the best actress Oscar last February for Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook and is generating a strong buzz this year in the supporting actress category for her scene-stealing role as Rosalyn, the unpredictable wife of conman Irving Rosenfeld, played by Christian Bale.

Gravity, the 3D film about astronauts stranded in space, picked up the prestigious best director Globe for Alfonso Cuaron, making him an Oscar frontrunner alongside Steve McQueen and David O. Russell.

The winners of the golden statuettes will be announced at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre

The winners of the golden statuettes will be announced at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre

Sandra Bullock is hotly tipped for a best actress nomination, while 12 Years a Slave‘s Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o are all expected to get acting nods.

The best picture category can consist of anything between five and 10 films. For the past two years there have been nine films on the shortlist.

Among the hopefuls are Martin Scorsese’s stockbroker shocker The Wolf of Wall Street, sea piracy thriller Captain Phillips and Nebraska, Alexander Payne’s black and white film about a cantankerous old man on the trail of a dubious lottery win.

Also expected to pick up a nomination is Dallas Buyers Club, the true story of Texas electrician Ron Woodroof, played by Matthew McConaughey, who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1985 and given 30 days to live.

Although completely shut out of last week’s BAFTA nominations, Dallas Buyers Club is likely to fare better with the Academy’s 6,000 voters.

Matthew McConaughey was named best actor in a drama at the Globes while his co-star Jared Leto won the best supporting actor prize for his depiction of a transgender woman.

Bookies say Matthew McConaughey is closing in on Chiwetel Ejiofor in the race for the best actor Oscar.

Other names tipped to make the final cut are Robert Redford (All is Lost), Leonardo Di Caprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Bruce Dern (Nebraska) and Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips).

Tom Hanks, already a double Oscar winner, might get two acting nominations this year, the second for playing Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks, a film about Disney’s attempts to turn Mary Poppins into a movie in the 1960s.

Cate Blanchett appears hard to beat for the best actress Oscar and is 1/8 favorite to pick up the award for her role as a New York socialite fallen on hard times in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine.

The best director shortlist could include Paul Greengrass and Steve McQueen.

The winners of the golden statuettes will be announced at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles. This year’s event is hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.

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American Hustle and Gravity are among the 10 movies up for the Producers Guild of America’s best picture prize.

12 Years a Slave and Nebraska are also nominated for its ‘outstanding producer of theatrical motion pictures’ award.

The Butler and Coen brothers’ movie Inside Llewyn Davis are notably absent from the 10 films, one of which will collect the prize on 19 January.

The guild’s decision comes six weeks before the Oscars on March 2nd.

In the last six years, the recipient of the PGA’s top award has gone on to be named best picture at the Academy Awards.

Argo, which took the main prize at last year’s ceremony, was also the top dog at the 2012 Oscars.

Eight of the 10 films nominated by the PGA Awards 2013 went on to be nominated in the Academy Awards’ best picture category.

Other cinematic releases in contention include Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street and Tom Hanks’ thriller Captain Phillips.

Dallas Buyers Club, Spike Jonze’s oddball romance Her and Saving Mr. Banks, in which Tom Hanks also appears, round out the PGA shortlist.

But there is no place for August: Orange County, a darkly comic family drama starring Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, or Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom biopic starring Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela.

The 25th annual PGA Awards winners will be announced during a ceremony on January 19 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles

The 25th annual PGA Awards winners will be announced during a ceremony on January 19 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles

Despite this, producer Harvey Weinstein – whose company is distributing both films as well as Judi Dench’s drama Philomena – remained upbeat about their Oscar chances.

BAFTA – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts – announce the nominations for their 2014 film awards on Wednesday.

Five more titles make the cut for the PGA’s animated film producer prize, among them The Croods, Frozen and Monsters University.

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of the James Bond films, will receive a special award at this year’s ceremony, to be held at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton Hotel.

So far in the awards season, critics’ groups have bestowed their honors upon American Hustle, Gravity and Her.

Steve McQueen’s historical drama 12 Years a Slave has also figured highly, collecting seven nominations for this year’s Golden Globe awards.

The Golden Globes, a key Los Angeles awards ceremony for both cinema and television, will be held on January 12, one week before the PGA event.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Directors Guild of America (DGA) are also set to announce the nominees for their own film awards.

2014 PGA BEST PICTURE NOMINEES:

  • American Hustle
  • Blue Jasmine
  • Captain Phillips
  • Dallas Buyers Club
  • Gravity
  • Her
  • Nebraska
  • Saving Mr. Banks
  • 12 Years a Slave
  • The Wolf of Wall Street[youtube ST7a1aK_lG0 650]

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Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Dallas Buyers Club are among the seven films that remain in the running for the Oscar for makeup and hairstyling, the Academy announced on Saturday.

Surprisingly, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Rush and Lee Daniel’s The Butler were left off the shortlist, which also included American Hustle, Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters, The Great Gatsby and The Lone Ranger.

The seven-film shortlist was compiled after a vote by members of the Makeup Artists & Hairstylists Branch, who also recommended the specific individuals primarily responsible for the shortlisted work.

Bad Grandpa is making Oscars 2014 makeup shortlist

Bad Grandpa is making Oscars 2014 makeup shortlist

The 135 members of the branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from the shortlisted films at a bakeoff at the Academys Samuel Goldwyn Theater in January. Members who have seen all seven of the shortlisted films will then be invited to vote, and three nominees will be selected.

Oscars 2014 makeup and hairstyling shortlist:

American Hustle
Dallas Buyers Club
The Great Gatsby
Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger

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Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and costume designer Piero Tosi will accept Oscar statuettes at the film academy’s Governors Awards ceremony Saturday night in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles.

Angelina Jolie, 38, will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while the others will accept honorary Academy Awards for their distinguished careers.

Angelina Jolie will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Angelina Jolie will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

The black-tie dinner ceremony is untelevised to preserve a sense of intimacy and allow for ample tributes to each honoree.

This is the fifth year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has presented its honorary awards at a separate ceremony. Clips from the event may be included in the March 2 Oscar telecast.

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Full list of winners Academy Awards 2012

 

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

BEST ACTOR

Jean Dujardin – The Artist

BEST ACTRESS

Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christopher Plummer – Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Octavia Spencer – The Help

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A Separation – Iran

BEST ANIMATION

Rango

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash

French black and white film The Artist won three of the biggest prizes: best picture, best actor and best director for Michel Hazanavicius (pictured)

French black and white film The Artist won three of the biggest prizes: best picture, best actor and best director for Michel Hazanavicius (pictured)

BEST ART DIRECTION

Hugo – Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Hugo – Robert Richardson

BEST SOUND MIXING

Hugo – Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

BEST SOUND EDITING

Hugo – Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Man or Muppet, from The Muppets – music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Artist – Ludovic Bource

BEST COSTUMES

The Artist – Mark Bridges

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Undefeated

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Saving Face

BEST FILM EDITING

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

The Shore

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Hugo – Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning

BEST MAKE-UP

The Iron Lady – Mark Coulier and J Roy Helland

 

Eddie Murphy signs on to host 84th Academy Awards ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday, September 6.

In a press release on Tuesday, Eddie Murphy said:

“I am enormously honored to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others.”

Eddie Murphy will host 2012 ceremony of the Annual Academy Awards

Eddie Murphy will host 2012 ceremony of the Annual Academy Awards

 

Eddie Murphy, 50, was reported to be the Brett Ratner’s top choice to host the 84th Academy Awards show.

Brett Ratner, who is the “Rush Hour” director and recently directed Eddie Murphy in the upcoming movie “Tower Heist”, is producing the ceremony.

“Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever,” Brett Ratner said in a press release.

“With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances – especially on stage – I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show.”

This will be Eddie Murphy’s first hosting stint on the Oscars.

Eddie Murphy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for his role in “Dreamgirls.”

Previously, there were rumors that Billy Crystal, who hosted the awards show eight times between 1990 and 2004, was to be in the running for hosting duties before Eddie Murphy was officially tapped to host.

Eddie Murphy began his career at the age of 15 as a stand-up comedian.  In 1980, at the age of 19, he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” becoming the show’s youngest cast member to that point, and bringing to life many of the show’s most memorable  characters. His 1983 album “Eddie Murphy: Comedian” won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording.  It included portions of his groundbreaking HBO special “Eddie Murphy Delirious.”  In 1987, “Eddie Murphy Raw” was theatrically released and went on to gross over $50 million. Murphy made his feature film debut in 1982 with the classic “48 Hrs.” and would go on to star in such box-office hits as “Beverly Hills Cop” and the “The Nutty Professor” and “Shrek” franchises. All told, movies in which he has performed have earned in excess of $7 billion worldwide during their theatrical releases.

The 84th edition of the Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.