I know it's way overdue but the Monkey Chan Film Awards 2009 have been decided. Winners in bold.
Best Picture
The Wrestler
The Dark Knight
Best Actor
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Redbelt)
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Actress
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Best Supporting Actress
Kaori Momoi (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Marissa Tomei (The Wrestler)
Emily Moritimer (Redbelt)
Best Director
Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan (Slumdog Millionaire)
Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
Takashi Miike (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
Achievement in Cinematography
Toyomichi Kurita (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight)
Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Screenplay
John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In)
Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
Takashi Miike and Masa Nakamura (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Lifetime Achievement Award
John Ford
Akira Kurosawa
Elia Kazan
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Comic Artist Wanted
Rob and I (Waldo) are looking for an artist regarding a comic book project. If you read the blog you know that we are totally into comics. We have a book that we have been fleshing out for over a year but we have yet to find an artist. We are hoping that is you. So send us a comment or email jwaldowski@gmail.com if you would like some more details. Please note that you can be anywhere in the world and we can we work with you. Internet is awesome that way.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Super Hero Tournament Round 1 Results
Round 1
A lot of these were kind of no brainer fights so I won't get too detailed with those. Here are the results of the first round of the super hero tournament.
Black Bolt defeats Emma Frost by talking.
Unfortunately, Dazzler was able to defeat Nick Fury based on the fact that she is a mutant and he is just a dude.
She Hulk uses her strength and stomps the shit out of Spider Woman.
Captain America tops Bishop because he's the man.
Gambit is able to defeat Night Thrasher because he can make things explode.
Hulk beat Iron Fist because the Hulk is a mutated killing machine and Iron Fist is a half assed ninja. This was in spite of Rob's insistence that Iron Fist could win because he once pulled the heart out of a dragon.
Bucky defeats Chase Stein because he has more going for him than some tricked up gloves.
Ghost Rider over Power Man because Power Man is a lame ass character.
In the first really interesting matchup on the board, Punisher falls in defeat to War Machine. I predict War Machine will get a big head and lose in the second round due to a contract dispute.
Xavier destroys Jubilee, duh!
Iceman encases Namor in a block of ice and that pretty much ended that fight.
Dr. Strange overcomes being distract by Ms. Marvel's incredibly hot ass long enough to send to another dimension.
Nico Minoru casts a spell from her staff that turns the Thing into a mud puddle. Game over.
Wolverine slices up Captain Britian.
Iron Man makes quick work of Angel.
Beast defeats Cloak & Dagger thanks to his powers not sucking.
Moon Knight makes quick work of Kitty Pryde.
Cable easily defeats Ant Man.
Shitty luck Spidey, your senses didn't do a damn thing for you against Thor.
Molly Hayes uses her awesome super strength to beat Rogue half to death.
Now this next fight seemed like a no brainer in Deadpool's favor but the more we thought about the more we realized that the Invisible Woman could just create a force ball surrounding Deadpool and then walk away. Chalk up a win for Sue Richards.
X-23 cuts ribbons through Nova.
Skaar uses his strength advantage to pummel Black Widow into a pulp.
Scarlet Witch pulls the old No More Mutants trick out of her bag to send Colossus packing.
Black Panther tops Hawkeye.
Jean Grey beats Luke Cage proving that brains usually do trump brawn.
In another hotly debated matchup, we decided that Nightcrawler would be able to hit-phase-hit faster than Daredevil could respond.
Hercules beats Mr. Fantastic proving that sometimes brawn does trump brains.
Human Torch sends Black Knight riding off into the sunset.
Wasp defeats Cyclops because she is too small for him to target accurately.Also, Scott Summers is kind of a bitch.
And despite my defense that he is a duck and the perfect matchup for him, it was decided that Storm could defeat Howard the Duck without really trying very hard.
So here are the matchups for round 2.
Black Bolt V. Dazzler
She Hulk v. Captain America
Gambit v. Hulk
Bucky v. Ghost Rider
War Machine v. Xavier
Iceman v. Dr. Strange
Nico v. Penance
Wolverine v. Iron Man
Beast v. Moon Knight
Cable v. Thor
Molly Hayes v. Invisible Woman
X-23 v. Skaar
Scarlet Witch v. Black Panther
Jean Grey v. Night Crawler
Hercules v. Human Torch
Wasp v. Storm
So what do you think will happen? Please feel free to comment and let us know.
A lot of these were kind of no brainer fights so I won't get too detailed with those. Here are the results of the first round of the super hero tournament.
Black Bolt defeats Emma Frost by talking.
Unfortunately, Dazzler was able to defeat Nick Fury based on the fact that she is a mutant and he is just a dude.
She Hulk uses her strength and stomps the shit out of Spider Woman.
Captain America tops Bishop because he's the man.
Gambit is able to defeat Night Thrasher because he can make things explode.
Hulk beat Iron Fist because the Hulk is a mutated killing machine and Iron Fist is a half assed ninja. This was in spite of Rob's insistence that Iron Fist could win because he once pulled the heart out of a dragon.
Bucky defeats Chase Stein because he has more going for him than some tricked up gloves.
Ghost Rider over Power Man because Power Man is a lame ass character.
In the first really interesting matchup on the board, Punisher falls in defeat to War Machine. I predict War Machine will get a big head and lose in the second round due to a contract dispute.
Xavier destroys Jubilee, duh!
Iceman encases Namor in a block of ice and that pretty much ended that fight.
Dr. Strange overcomes being distract by Ms. Marvel's incredibly hot ass long enough to send to another dimension.
Nico Minoru casts a spell from her staff that turns the Thing into a mud puddle. Game over.
Wolverine slices up Captain Britian.
Iron Man makes quick work of Angel.
Beast defeats Cloak & Dagger thanks to his powers not sucking.
Moon Knight makes quick work of Kitty Pryde.
Cable easily defeats Ant Man.
Shitty luck Spidey, your senses didn't do a damn thing for you against Thor.
Molly Hayes uses her awesome super strength to beat Rogue half to death.
Now this next fight seemed like a no brainer in Deadpool's favor but the more we thought about the more we realized that the Invisible Woman could just create a force ball surrounding Deadpool and then walk away. Chalk up a win for Sue Richards.
X-23 cuts ribbons through Nova.
Skaar uses his strength advantage to pummel Black Widow into a pulp.
Scarlet Witch pulls the old No More Mutants trick out of her bag to send Colossus packing.
Black Panther tops Hawkeye.
Jean Grey beats Luke Cage proving that brains usually do trump brawn.
In another hotly debated matchup, we decided that Nightcrawler would be able to hit-phase-hit faster than Daredevil could respond.
Hercules beats Mr. Fantastic proving that sometimes brawn does trump brains.
Human Torch sends Black Knight riding off into the sunset.
Wasp defeats Cyclops because she is too small for him to target accurately.Also, Scott Summers is kind of a bitch.
And despite my defense that he is a duck and the perfect matchup for him, it was decided that Storm could defeat Howard the Duck without really trying very hard.
So here are the matchups for round 2.
Black Bolt V. Dazzler
She Hulk v. Captain America
Gambit v. Hulk
Bucky v. Ghost Rider
War Machine v. Xavier
Iceman v. Dr. Strange
Nico v. Penance
Wolverine v. Iron Man
Beast v. Moon Knight
Cable v. Thor
Molly Hayes v. Invisible Woman
X-23 v. Skaar
Scarlet Witch v. Black Panther
Jean Grey v. Night Crawler
Hercules v. Human Torch
Wasp v. Storm
So what do you think will happen? Please feel free to comment and let us know.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Australia's Penthouse Pet of the Year
Ok so there's is this hot hot chick named Ashlee Adams who is in the running for Pet of the Year in Australia's Penthouse. I know this because Ashlee is one of the people I follow on Twitter. You can do the same if you would like right here. Ashlee really really wants to be the pet of the year and I can't think of a more deserving candidate. She is a lot of fun to talk to on Twitter and I know from her tweets that she is more than just another smoking hot piece of ass, she's funny and entertaining as well. So please go vote for her and make her and my day.
You can click on the title of this post or just go here.
You can click on the title of this post or just go here.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Super Hero Tournament
So rob and I were talking about super hero fights. You know, the age old, "If hero A and hero B fought who would win?". As a result of our discussion I decided that we should create a 64 hero tournament to determine the ultimate hero. All of the heroes in our tournament are Marvel heroes because Marvel owns the super hero comic genre. Fuck you DC. There were certain other parameters as well. We did not include any characters that we deemed to be insanely over powered such as Galactus or Silver Surfer. So here are the first round matchups which were determined by the random number generator at random.org We will discuss and post our opinions and then move on to round 2 at some point.
Black Bolt vs. Emma Frost
Dazzler vs. Nick Fury
She Hulk vs. Spider Woman
Captain America vs. Bishop
Night Thrasher vs. Gambit
Iron Fist vs. Hulk
Bucky vs. Chase Stein
Power Man vs. Ghost Rider
War Machine vs. Punisher
Jubilee vs. Xavier
Namor vs. Iceman
Ms. Marvel vs. Dr. Strange
Thing vs. Nico Minoru
Penance vs. Quicksilver
Wolverine vs. Captain Britian
Angel vs. Iron Man
Beast vs. Cloak & Dagger
Kitty Pryde vs. Moon Knight
Ant Man vs. Cable
Spider Man vs. Thor
Rogue vs. Molly Hayes
Deadpool vs. Invisible Woman
Nova vs. X-23
Skaar vs. Black Widow
Colossus vs. Scarlet Witch
Black Panther vs. Hawkeye
Jean Grey vs. Luke Cage
Daredevil vs. Nightcrawler
Hercules vs. Mister Fantastic
Black Knight vs. Human Torch
Cyclops vs. Wasp
Storm vs. Howard the Duck
Black Bolt vs. Emma Frost
Dazzler vs. Nick Fury
She Hulk vs. Spider Woman
Captain America vs. Bishop
Night Thrasher vs. Gambit
Iron Fist vs. Hulk
Bucky vs. Chase Stein
Power Man vs. Ghost Rider
War Machine vs. Punisher
Jubilee vs. Xavier
Namor vs. Iceman
Ms. Marvel vs. Dr. Strange
Thing vs. Nico Minoru
Penance vs. Quicksilver
Wolverine vs. Captain Britian
Angel vs. Iron Man
Beast vs. Cloak & Dagger
Kitty Pryde vs. Moon Knight
Ant Man vs. Cable
Spider Man vs. Thor
Rogue vs. Molly Hayes
Deadpool vs. Invisible Woman
Nova vs. X-23
Skaar vs. Black Widow
Colossus vs. Scarlet Witch
Black Panther vs. Hawkeye
Jean Grey vs. Luke Cage
Daredevil vs. Nightcrawler
Hercules vs. Mister Fantastic
Black Knight vs. Human Torch
Cyclops vs. Wasp
Storm vs. Howard the Duck
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Monkey Chans
As I'm sure all of our legion of fans are aware, the Monkey Chan winners have not been announced. I apologize for this but there have been some unforeseeable issues regarding some of the committee members being able to see all of the nominees in a timely fashion. As soon as they have seen them we will announce the winners. I am sorry for any distress this may have caused you.
waldo
waldo
Healthcare debate stuff
There is a chart on the internet that shows the life expectancy rankings of 224 nations. The people in favor of National Health Care are using this to show that the US is lagging behind nations that provide health care. I thought I would crunch the numbers and see if this is accurate. I originally posted this on the Hank III message board but I thought I would put it over here as well.
Ok here comes the actual research that I did all on my own. This is not a copy and paste job.
There are 36 countries in the world that have some form of public healthcare. This ranges from a full blown insurance program to a government prescription plan that provides your medications free of charge. If you take those 36 countries and look them up on the life expectancy list you will get a list that looks like this.
Japan 3
Australia 7
Canada 8
France 9
Sweden 10
Israel 13
Iceland 14
New Zealand 18
Italy 19
Spain 23
Greece 26
Austria 27
The Netherlands 30
Luxembourg 31
Germany 32
Belgium 33
United Kingdom 36
Finland 37
South Korea 40
Cyprus 45
Denmark 46
Ireland 47
Portugal 48
Costa Rica 54
Cuba 55
Chile 56
Argentina 66
Saudi Arabia 69
Sri Lanka 84
Oman 91
China 105
Brazil 121
Iraq 144
Ukraine 150
Russia 162
Afghanistan 214
Now if you take the average ranking of those countries you get 54.8 which is obviously lower than the US score of 50. In an effort to show the numbers a bit more fairly, I looked at what would happen if you throw out the highest number (214 for Afghanistan) and the lowest number (3 for Japan). This gives you an average score of 51.64. Still lower than the US ranking of 50.
One thing that I did find interesting in my research. Iraq and Afghanistan both have a national healthcare program paid for by the United States as part of the War Funding Package.
Ok here comes the actual research that I did all on my own. This is not a copy and paste job.
There are 36 countries in the world that have some form of public healthcare. This ranges from a full blown insurance program to a government prescription plan that provides your medications free of charge. If you take those 36 countries and look them up on the life expectancy list you will get a list that looks like this.
Japan 3
Australia 7
Canada 8
France 9
Sweden 10
Israel 13
Iceland 14
New Zealand 18
Italy 19
Spain 23
Greece 26
Austria 27
The Netherlands 30
Luxembourg 31
Germany 32
Belgium 33
United Kingdom 36
Finland 37
South Korea 40
Cyprus 45
Denmark 46
Ireland 47
Portugal 48
Costa Rica 54
Cuba 55
Chile 56
Argentina 66
Saudi Arabia 69
Sri Lanka 84
Oman 91
China 105
Brazil 121
Iraq 144
Ukraine 150
Russia 162
Afghanistan 214
Now if you take the average ranking of those countries you get 54.8 which is obviously lower than the US score of 50. In an effort to show the numbers a bit more fairly, I looked at what would happen if you throw out the highest number (214 for Afghanistan) and the lowest number (3 for Japan). This gives you an average score of 51.64. Still lower than the US ranking of 50.
One thing that I did find interesting in my research. Iraq and Afghanistan both have a national healthcare program paid for by the United States as part of the War Funding Package.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monkey Chan Film Awards
We have decided to have our own film awards here at Fisty Fisty Monkey Chan. The criteria that we chose for nomination basically were that the film was released in 2008. We have a four person committee that consists of me(waldo), rob, fatdragon, and a dude named Kelly. I know right, a man named Kelly, the absurdity of such a thing. We each chose a winner for each category and now begin the process of arguing it out to a winner. Some categories have but one nominee so that is an easy argument, we all picked the same thing. Others have multiple nominees so that is where the fun comes in. Here is the list of nominees for the 2009 Monkey Chan Film Awards. Winners will be announced August 15th.
Best Picture
The Wrestler
The Dark Knight
Best Actor
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Redbelt)
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Actress
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Best Supporting Actress
Kaori Momoi (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Marissa Tomei (The Wrestler)
Emily Moritimer (Redbelt)
Best Director
Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan (Slumdog Millionaire)
Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
Takashi Miike (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
Achievement in Cinematography
Toyomichi Kurita (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight)
Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Screenplay
John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In)
Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
Takashi Miike and Masa Nakamura (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Lifetime Achievement Award
John Ford
Akira Kurosawa
Elia Kazan
Best Picture
The Wrestler
The Dark Knight
Best Actor
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Redbelt)
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Actress
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Best Supporting Actress
Kaori Momoi (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Marissa Tomei (The Wrestler)
Emily Moritimer (Redbelt)
Best Director
Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan (Slumdog Millionaire)
Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
Takashi Miike (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
Achievement in Cinematography
Toyomichi Kurita (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight)
Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Screenplay
John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In)
Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
Takashi Miike and Masa Nakamura (Sukiyaki Western Django)
Lifetime Achievement Award
John Ford
Akira Kurosawa
Elia Kazan
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Fucking A Right
Evidently if you do a google search for romulan words, you get to this little blog. Yes!!!! Who the fuck is googling in Romulan? Or was it Klingon? I don't remember.
- United Kingdom, 86.137.63.111AS2856 BTnet UK Regional networkClient:Mac OS X (1680x1050x24)
Firefox 3.0 (JavaScript: 1.8, Cookie: Yes, Java: Yes)Referer:Google — uaefvalhuneitrde'h'nPath:
Pros and Cons of Orphan
There is a new film coming out called Orphan. To help you out in deciding whether or not to watch this, I have decided to give you a little information.
Here are the pros and cons of this movie
Pros
Vera Farmiga is in it and she was awesome in Boy in the Striped Pajamas (which is a brilliant film if you can get past all the Nazi's having British accents) and Departed.
Margo Martindale is in it and she is a fantastic character actor.
Peter Sarsgaard is in it aand he haas done some excellent work as a chaaraacter aactor in his own right, most notaably in Boys Don't Cry aand The Saalton Seaa.
It is rated R unlike most shitty horror movies lately which are rated PG-13. I'm pretty sure my thoughts on that are well known.
CCH Pounder is in it and she was awesome in the Shield.
Cons
Jaume Collet-Serra is directing it and his only previous horror experience in his very limited directorial career was House of Wax with Paris Hilton. Also, don't mind him he's from Barcelona.
Peter Sarsgaard is in it and he haas done some terrible work as a chaaraacter aactor, most notaably in Jaarheaad and The Skeleton Key.
CCH Pounder is in it and she hasn't done anything worthwhile in her entire career with the exception of the Shield.
It is a unique and clever idea the likes of which have never been seen on the big screen. Oh wait, scratch that. It is a dull rehash of a story that has been told a million times.
Warner Bros. has already caved by removing a line from the trailer. The original spot included the line, "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own". That line is now removed because adoption organizations found it offensive. Horror movies should not really try to be PC if you ask me.
Overall evaluation, this will be yet another rubbish movie that people should not watch.
Edit: I forgot to mention that CCH Pounder is playing a nun. If I see a black nun all I can think of is Whoopi Goldberg.
Here are the pros and cons of this movie
Pros
Vera Farmiga is in it and she was awesome in Boy in the Striped Pajamas (which is a brilliant film if you can get past all the Nazi's having British accents) and Departed.
Margo Martindale is in it and she is a fantastic character actor.
Peter Sarsgaard is in it aand he haas done some excellent work as a chaaraacter aactor in his own right, most notaably in Boys Don't Cry aand The Saalton Seaa.
It is rated R unlike most shitty horror movies lately which are rated PG-13. I'm pretty sure my thoughts on that are well known.
CCH Pounder is in it and she was awesome in the Shield.
Cons
Jaume Collet-Serra is directing it and his only previous horror experience in his very limited directorial career was House of Wax with Paris Hilton. Also, don't mind him he's from Barcelona.
Peter Sarsgaard is in it and he haas done some terrible work as a chaaraacter aactor, most notaably in Jaarheaad and The Skeleton Key.
CCH Pounder is in it and she hasn't done anything worthwhile in her entire career with the exception of the Shield.
It is a unique and clever idea the likes of which have never been seen on the big screen. Oh wait, scratch that. It is a dull rehash of a story that has been told a million times.
Warner Bros. has already caved by removing a line from the trailer. The original spot included the line, "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own". That line is now removed because adoption organizations found it offensive. Horror movies should not really try to be PC if you ask me.
Overall evaluation, this will be yet another rubbish movie that people should not watch.
Edit: I forgot to mention that CCH Pounder is playing a nun. If I see a black nun all I can think of is Whoopi Goldberg.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Guess Who Just Watched the New Green Day Video and Got a Headache?
if you guessed me, you guessed right. when the fuck did green day decide they were the pop-punk version of anti-flag? i mean i guess i get it. anti-flag writes intelligent - although misguided - songs about government corruption and how the little guy is getting screwed...well at least unless obama is in office and then it's all rainbows and puppy dogs. and they got pretty successful off of that. so after a few lukewarm albums i can understand how you might want to jump on that bandwagon. especially when it's so fucking easy to be angry when you're rich - because poor people don't have enough energy to fight the system ya know...we need our celebrities to do it for us.
but at least put a little effort into it. and yeah, this is coming from the guy who's in a band that sings songs about eating chicken. and even i'm appalled at what's passing for angry rhetoric. especially given that the guy that you're railing against in your songs? yeah, he's not in office anymore guys...time to let it go. woody guthrie is rolling over in his grave...
i let you guys off the hook for american idiot. but this is just pathetic.
and now to get off my soapbox and watch this piece of shit go double platinum with the hot topic tween set...
(rob)
but at least put a little effort into it. and yeah, this is coming from the guy who's in a band that sings songs about eating chicken. and even i'm appalled at what's passing for angry rhetoric. especially given that the guy that you're railing against in your songs? yeah, he's not in office anymore guys...time to let it go. woody guthrie is rolling over in his grave...
i let you guys off the hook for american idiot. but this is just pathetic.
and now to get off my soapbox and watch this piece of shit go double platinum with the hot topic tween set...
(rob)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Twilight Can Suck My Vampire Balls
i hate twilight. i don't dislike it. i don't feel ambivalent about it. i hate it, and the genre of shitty children's vampire bullshit that it's destined to spawn.
now i'm not against tween literature - hell, i'll talk harry potter all night with someone given the chance. but a mormon housewife knows nothing about vampires or horror novels, and writing one should be at the bottom of her list of things to do.
if you haven't read the books - and i'll be honest, i haven't - then here's your basic summary. girl falls in love with vampire boy. they decide - completely discounting the basic sense of eroticism in the archetype of the vampire - that sex is just not in the cards for them and it's better if they wait to bone while he fights evil vampires, etc. it's like the fucking jonas brothers with fangs.
i was okay ignoring all of that and pretty much just pretending that it didn't exist, like i do with most popular music and movies. i would rant a bit if one of my friends brought it up, but i tried my damndest to just forget abou it overall. until chud.com linked to an article with Entertainment Weekly where they interviewed the writer to get some insight into her brilliance. and i can't ignore it any longer.
first they asked her - as a writer of vampire fiction - what she thought of bram stoker's dracula. seems like an easy question for someone that writes that genre. her answer? she hasn't read it but it's on her list of things that she'll get to at some point.
let's back that statement up. she writes stories about vampires...shitty stories, but vampire stories nonetheless, and she can't be bothered to read one of the seminal texts on the subject. it's on her fucking to-do list next to counting the millions that she made raping what is already an almost dead genre. i'm sure she'll get around to it though...
they then move on to movies. surely she's familiar with the concept of the vampire in cinema - especially since we know that she didn't get anything from books. nope. nada. not happening. she doesn't watch r-rated movies because she's mormon. and then it gets really good, and here's where my brain almost exploded.
she tried (tried!) to watch interview with a vampire once, but she only made it about 10 minutes into it before she turned it off...it was - and i fucking quote - "yuck".
in fact i'm going to quote this entire section, because i want you to see the level of "i don't give a fuck about what came before me" that this woman puts out to the universe:
"I've seen little pieces of Interview with a Vampire when it was on TV, but I kind of always go YUCK! I don't watch R-rated movies, so that really cuts down on a lot of the horror. And I think I've seen a couple of pieces of The Lost Boys, which my husband liked, and he wanted me to watch it once, but I was like, It's creepy!"
that's right. this fucking "writer" - and i use that word loosely - doesn't read vampire fiction, and can't even stand to watch a horror movie because they're too scary for her. and we've made this woman a millionaire. made hollywood a metric fuck-ton of money pandering to the tweens. we've shoved mormon propaganda down children's throats masquerading as a vampire love story, and ripped the balls off of a creature that used to terrify people before we let assholes like this woman neuter them. and no one fucking cares.
(rob)
now i'm not against tween literature - hell, i'll talk harry potter all night with someone given the chance. but a mormon housewife knows nothing about vampires or horror novels, and writing one should be at the bottom of her list of things to do.
if you haven't read the books - and i'll be honest, i haven't - then here's your basic summary. girl falls in love with vampire boy. they decide - completely discounting the basic sense of eroticism in the archetype of the vampire - that sex is just not in the cards for them and it's better if they wait to bone while he fights evil vampires, etc. it's like the fucking jonas brothers with fangs.
i was okay ignoring all of that and pretty much just pretending that it didn't exist, like i do with most popular music and movies. i would rant a bit if one of my friends brought it up, but i tried my damndest to just forget abou it overall. until chud.com linked to an article with Entertainment Weekly where they interviewed the writer to get some insight into her brilliance. and i can't ignore it any longer.
first they asked her - as a writer of vampire fiction - what she thought of bram stoker's dracula. seems like an easy question for someone that writes that genre. her answer? she hasn't read it but it's on her list of things that she'll get to at some point.
let's back that statement up. she writes stories about vampires...shitty stories, but vampire stories nonetheless, and she can't be bothered to read one of the seminal texts on the subject. it's on her fucking to-do list next to counting the millions that she made raping what is already an almost dead genre. i'm sure she'll get around to it though...
they then move on to movies. surely she's familiar with the concept of the vampire in cinema - especially since we know that she didn't get anything from books. nope. nada. not happening. she doesn't watch r-rated movies because she's mormon. and then it gets really good, and here's where my brain almost exploded.
she tried (tried!) to watch interview with a vampire once, but she only made it about 10 minutes into it before she turned it off...it was - and i fucking quote - "yuck".
in fact i'm going to quote this entire section, because i want you to see the level of "i don't give a fuck about what came before me" that this woman puts out to the universe:
"I've seen little pieces of Interview with a Vampire when it was on TV, but I kind of always go YUCK! I don't watch R-rated movies, so that really cuts down on a lot of the horror. And I think I've seen a couple of pieces of The Lost Boys, which my husband liked, and he wanted me to watch it once, but I was like, It's creepy!"
that's right. this fucking "writer" - and i use that word loosely - doesn't read vampire fiction, and can't even stand to watch a horror movie because they're too scary for her. and we've made this woman a millionaire. made hollywood a metric fuck-ton of money pandering to the tweens. we've shoved mormon propaganda down children's throats masquerading as a vampire love story, and ripped the balls off of a creature that used to terrify people before we let assholes like this woman neuter them. and no one fucking cares.
(rob)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Why I hate Friday the 13th, the date not the movie
As you probably all know, yesterday was Friday the 13Th. Hooray! This is the worst of all possible weekday/date combinations for me. It's not because I subscribe to some sort of archaic set of absurd superstitions and, therefore, fear walking out of my house on Friday the 13Th because I am certain that something terrible will happen to me. It is because this date takes one of the things I love, language, and destroys it while taking one of the things I hate, morons, and heightens them to an obscene level.
As happens on every Friday the 13Th in small towns and giant urban complexes presumably all over the world but most certainly here in America, idiots who heard a big word at some point and somehow managed to remember it are out in droves. Typically when these people speak they produce, perhaps, one sentence out of ten that can be properly diagrammed. The other nine sentences are an absolutely nightmarish collection of sentence fragments and dangling participles and some errors so grievous that we do not even have words in our language to describe them. We didn't think we needed to create these words because surely nobody would be idiotic enough to speak that poorly. We were wrong.
The one big word that these people know is, evidently, triskaidekaphobia. I have no idea where they encountered this word but somehow they all know it. It was probably a running gag on an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond or whatever it is that people like that watch in their spare time. I'm pretty sure they aren't watching Masterpiece Theater. All of these morons use this word and once or twice a year, or in this case in consecutive months, they get to use it. There is, however, a problem. Two problems actually.
The first problem is that this word does not apply specifically to Friday the 13Th. Triskaidekaphobia is simply an irrational fear of the NUMBER 13, in all forms. When I heard an idiot on the train on my way to work yesterday tell his buddy, "Hey it's Friday the 13Th, all those people with triskaidekaphobia had better watch out", I wanted to rip my face off. There is a word that is specific to a fear of Friday the 13Th which would actually apply in this situation. You see, "people with triskaidekaphobia" have to watch out all the time. There is a greater than zero chance that, on any given day, they will encounter the dreaded number thirteen and go into a panic so Friday the 13Th is really no different to them than any other day. The word for people who specifically fear Friday the 13Th is paraskevidekatriaphobia. The reason that you don't hear people use this word is because it is much longer and harder to say. So beef number one that I have is that people are pretending to be smarter than they are by using a big word but, in that typical Idiocracy fashion of theirs, they are using it incorrectly. This would make them look like an idiot if they didn't surround themselves with other complete morons who look at them in awe anytime something multi syllabic comes out of their mouth.
There is also problem number two which is basically the same as problem number one. There is also a word for people who fear the number thirteen and it is not, "people with triskaidekaphobia." The word is triskaidekaphobic, as in, "I am terrified by the number thirteen and I don't know why. My therapist says I am a triskaidekaphobic."
Every Friday the 13Th I have to listen to these idiots take a word that they have no business using in the first place and absolutely destroy its usage not once, but twice. All the while their little buddies laugh and nod approvingly as if, somehow, knowing someone who is able to use a big word (albeit dreadfully incorrectly) makes them smarter by proxy. What the fuck is wrong with you people. It's OK to not have a wide vocabulary. I would contend that one could probably get by if they only knew about 500 words. If that is you, don't worry about it, but don't try to pretend to be something you aren't.
Glad I was able to get that off my chest, I feel better. At least until next Friday the 13Th.
As happens on every Friday the 13Th in small towns and giant urban complexes presumably all over the world but most certainly here in America, idiots who heard a big word at some point and somehow managed to remember it are out in droves. Typically when these people speak they produce, perhaps, one sentence out of ten that can be properly diagrammed. The other nine sentences are an absolutely nightmarish collection of sentence fragments and dangling participles and some errors so grievous that we do not even have words in our language to describe them. We didn't think we needed to create these words because surely nobody would be idiotic enough to speak that poorly. We were wrong.
The one big word that these people know is, evidently, triskaidekaphobia. I have no idea where they encountered this word but somehow they all know it. It was probably a running gag on an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond or whatever it is that people like that watch in their spare time. I'm pretty sure they aren't watching Masterpiece Theater. All of these morons use this word and once or twice a year, or in this case in consecutive months, they get to use it. There is, however, a problem. Two problems actually.
The first problem is that this word does not apply specifically to Friday the 13Th. Triskaidekaphobia is simply an irrational fear of the NUMBER 13, in all forms. When I heard an idiot on the train on my way to work yesterday tell his buddy, "Hey it's Friday the 13Th, all those people with triskaidekaphobia had better watch out", I wanted to rip my face off. There is a word that is specific to a fear of Friday the 13Th which would actually apply in this situation. You see, "people with triskaidekaphobia" have to watch out all the time. There is a greater than zero chance that, on any given day, they will encounter the dreaded number thirteen and go into a panic so Friday the 13Th is really no different to them than any other day. The word for people who specifically fear Friday the 13Th is paraskevidekatriaphobia. The reason that you don't hear people use this word is because it is much longer and harder to say. So beef number one that I have is that people are pretending to be smarter than they are by using a big word but, in that typical Idiocracy fashion of theirs, they are using it incorrectly. This would make them look like an idiot if they didn't surround themselves with other complete morons who look at them in awe anytime something multi syllabic comes out of their mouth.
There is also problem number two which is basically the same as problem number one. There is also a word for people who fear the number thirteen and it is not, "people with triskaidekaphobia." The word is triskaidekaphobic, as in, "I am terrified by the number thirteen and I don't know why. My therapist says I am a triskaidekaphobic."
Every Friday the 13Th I have to listen to these idiots take a word that they have no business using in the first place and absolutely destroy its usage not once, but twice. All the while their little buddies laugh and nod approvingly as if, somehow, knowing someone who is able to use a big word (albeit dreadfully incorrectly) makes them smarter by proxy. What the fuck is wrong with you people. It's OK to not have a wide vocabulary. I would contend that one could probably get by if they only knew about 500 words. If that is you, don't worry about it, but don't try to pretend to be something you aren't.
Glad I was able to get that off my chest, I feel better. At least until next Friday the 13Th.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Jason Bentley to Spin at Academy’s Governors Ball
Jason Bentley to Spin at
Academy’s Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA —Renowned radio host Jason Bentley will create the musical atmosphere at the Governors Ball, the celebration following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22.
“I plan to mix music from this year’s Oscar®-nominated films with global dance rhythms in a colorful audio montage,” said Bentley. The set will also be recorded and available on demand at KCRW.com.
Bentley can be heard daily on Santa Monica-based National Public Radio affiliate KCRW (89.9 FM Los Angeles and KCRW.com) from 9 a.m. to noon as host of the station’s music show “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” He also serves as KCRW’s music director. Through his radio programs, Bentley has helped break such artists as Adele, French dance duo Daft Punk and retro soul sensation Gnarls Barkley.
Bentley has also served as a music supervisor on several motion pictures, including the three “Matrix” films. He received a Grammy® nomination for his work on the soundtrack album for “The Matrix.”
Bentley will alternate with The Impulse Orchestra and featured jazz artists Rick Braun, Richard Elliot and Barbara Morrison in performances throughout the evening. The Ball’s 1,500 guests will include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and performers, and other luminaries.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Academy’s Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA —Renowned radio host Jason Bentley will create the musical atmosphere at the Governors Ball, the celebration following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22.
“I plan to mix music from this year’s Oscar®-nominated films with global dance rhythms in a colorful audio montage,” said Bentley. The set will also be recorded and available on demand at KCRW.com.
Bentley can be heard daily on Santa Monica-based National Public Radio affiliate KCRW (89.9 FM Los Angeles and KCRW.com) from 9 a.m. to noon as host of the station’s music show “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” He also serves as KCRW’s music director. Through his radio programs, Bentley has helped break such artists as Adele, French dance duo Daft Punk and retro soul sensation Gnarls Barkley.
Bentley has also served as a music supervisor on several motion pictures, including the three “Matrix” films. He received a Grammy® nomination for his work on the soundtrack album for “The Matrix.”
Bentley will alternate with The Impulse Orchestra and featured jazz artists Rick Braun, Richard Elliot and Barbara Morrison in performances throughout the evening. The Ball’s 1,500 guests will include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and performers, and other luminaries.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Barbara Morrison to Jazz Up Governors Ball
Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Barbara Morrison
to Jazz Up Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA — The Impulse Orchestra, a 21-piece ensemble, will accompany legendary jazz trumpeter Rick Braun, and saxophonist Richard Elliot, and jazz-blues vocalist Barbara Morrison in special performances at the Governors Ball, the celebration following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22.
Braun and Elliot have more than two-dozen solo albums between them, a collaboration album, “RnR,” and a massive catalog of chart-topping radio hits. Braun, who started his professional career by writing a Top 20 hit for REO Speedwagon ("Here With Me"), plays trumpet, flugelhorn and keyboards. The Allentown, Pennsylvania, native has played in bands behind Rod Stewart, Sade, Tom Petty, Tina Turner, Natalie Cole and Crowded House.
Elliot began his recording career playing with Motown legends Smokey Robinson and The Temptations. He was still a teenager when he toured with Melissa Manchester. Elliot put out his first solo album in 1976, and in subsequent years, the Scotland-born, Los Angeles-raised saxophonist became a steady voice in contemporary jazz.
Michigan native Morrison has performed with a virtual ‘who’s who’ of the jazz and blues worlds, including such legends as Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Etta James, Johnny Otis, Terence Blanchard, Nancy Wilson and Tony Bennett. She has been a guest vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Doc Severinsen and His Big Band. She also has been featured in more than 20 recordings and has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
Braun, Elliot, Morrison and The Impulse Orchestra will alternate with music stylist Jason Bentley in performing for the Ball’s 1,500 guests, which will include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and performers and other luminaries.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
to Jazz Up Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA — The Impulse Orchestra, a 21-piece ensemble, will accompany legendary jazz trumpeter Rick Braun, and saxophonist Richard Elliot, and jazz-blues vocalist Barbara Morrison in special performances at the Governors Ball, the celebration following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22.
Braun and Elliot have more than two-dozen solo albums between them, a collaboration album, “RnR,” and a massive catalog of chart-topping radio hits. Braun, who started his professional career by writing a Top 20 hit for REO Speedwagon ("Here With Me"), plays trumpet, flugelhorn and keyboards. The Allentown, Pennsylvania, native has played in bands behind Rod Stewart, Sade, Tom Petty, Tina Turner, Natalie Cole and Crowded House.
Elliot began his recording career playing with Motown legends Smokey Robinson and The Temptations. He was still a teenager when he toured with Melissa Manchester. Elliot put out his first solo album in 1976, and in subsequent years, the Scotland-born, Los Angeles-raised saxophonist became a steady voice in contemporary jazz.
Michigan native Morrison has performed with a virtual ‘who’s who’ of the jazz and blues worlds, including such legends as Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Etta James, Johnny Otis, Terence Blanchard, Nancy Wilson and Tony Bennett. She has been a guest vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Doc Severinsen and His Big Band. She also has been featured in more than 20 recordings and has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
Braun, Elliot, Morrison and The Impulse Orchestra will alternate with music stylist Jason Bentley in performing for the Ball’s 1,500 guests, which will include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and performers and other luminaries.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tim Gunn, Robin Roberts and Jess Cagle to Host Oscar’s Red Carpet Show
Tim Gunn, Robin Roberts and Jess Cagle
to Host Oscar’s Red Carpet Show
Tim Gunn, Robin Roberts and Jess Cagle will host the official 30-minute red carpet show “Oscar’s Red Carpet 2009,” executive producer Robert Morton announced today. This will be the first time they have hosted for the Oscar® pre-show, which airs beginning at 5 p.m. on the ABC Television Network, immediately prior to the 81st Academy Awards® presentation.
Gunn, who is chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc. and well known for his co-hosting of the Emmy® nominated program “Project Runway,” will interview celebrities and comment on red carpet fashions during guest arrivals. In addition to hosting “Project Runway,” he is also starring in the second season of his own show “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style,” based on his book “Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style.”
Roberts is a “Good Morning America” anchor who has traveled from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the Persian Gulf covering a wide array of topics. Prior to joining “Good Morning America,” Roberts was a commentator and contributor to ESPN, where she covered the LPGA, NCAA women’s basketball and the WNBA. The highly regarded anchor and journalist will interview nominees as they make their way to the Kodak Theatre on Oscar Night®.
Cagle is the managing editor of Entertainment Weekly and the former executive editor of People. He is a regular contributor to CBS News and appears frequently on a number of shows such as “Today” and “20/20.” Cagle brings his extensive knowledge of film and Hollywood history to his stint as an Oscar pre-show host.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
to Host Oscar’s Red Carpet Show
Tim Gunn, Robin Roberts and Jess Cagle will host the official 30-minute red carpet show “Oscar’s Red Carpet 2009,” executive producer Robert Morton announced today. This will be the first time they have hosted for the Oscar® pre-show, which airs beginning at 5 p.m. on the ABC Television Network, immediately prior to the 81st Academy Awards® presentation.
Gunn, who is chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc. and well known for his co-hosting of the Emmy® nominated program “Project Runway,” will interview celebrities and comment on red carpet fashions during guest arrivals. In addition to hosting “Project Runway,” he is also starring in the second season of his own show “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style,” based on his book “Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style.”
Roberts is a “Good Morning America” anchor who has traveled from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the Persian Gulf covering a wide array of topics. Prior to joining “Good Morning America,” Roberts was a commentator and contributor to ESPN, where she covered the LPGA, NCAA women’s basketball and the WNBA. The highly regarded anchor and journalist will interview nominees as they make their way to the Kodak Theatre on Oscar Night®.
Cagle is the managing editor of Entertainment Weekly and the former executive editor of People. He is a regular contributor to CBS News and appears frequently on a number of shows such as “Today” and “20/20.” Cagle brings his extensive knowledge of film and Hollywood history to his stint as an Oscar pre-show host.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Academy Announces “Oscars® Designer Challenge”
Academy Announces
“Oscars® Designer Challenge”
Online Voting to Determine Gown Worn on 81st Academy Awards® Show
Beverly Hills, CA — For the first time in its history, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is inviting the public to vote on an element of its annual Oscar® Show telecast. In “Oscars Designer Challenge,” seven up-and-coming fashion designers are vying to have their original evening gown worn by one of the Awards escorts during the 81st Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22. Members of the fashion and entertainment press were introduced today (2/10) to the seven designers and their creations at a runway fashion show at the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters.
Oscar telecast producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, along with Oscar fashion coordinator Patty Fox, selected the designers and paired them with Los Angeles-based models, one of whom will wear the public’s favorite gown while she brings Oscar statuettes onto the stage of the Kodak Theatre on Oscar Night®.
The designers participating in “Oscars Designer Challenge” are Moire Conroy, New York; Alan Del Rosario, Los Angeles; Sam Kori George, Chicago; Marianne Kooimans, Los Angeles; Maria Pinto, Chicago; Nicolas Putvinski, New York; and Robert Rodriguez, Los Angeles.
Public voting for “Oscars Designer Challenge” begins today at 3 p.m. PT at Oscar.com, the official Web site of the Academy Awards, where movie fans and fashion lovers will be able to see footage of the gowns and cast their vote. Anyone over the age of 18 can register to participate and will be eligible to vote once a day through 5 p.m. PT on February 17, 2009, when the voting period ends.
Beginning February, “Oscars Designer Challenge: Behind the Dress,” a web series documenting the competition will be on oscar.com.
The winning design will be announced first during “Oscar’s Red Carpet 2009,” the live arrivals show that will air on ABC beginning at 5 p.m. PT on February 22.
In addition to having his or her winning design worn on the live telecast, the winning designer will receive two tickets to attend the Oscars ceremony.
A team of expert hairstylists and makeup artists from Roy Teeluck Salon prepared the models for their high-fashion stroll down the runway today.
Diamonds courtesy of Diamond in the Rough, William Goldberg, Martin Katz, Neil Lane, Fred Leighton, Stephen Russell and Ivanka Trump provided the glitter for the runway show. Stuart Weitzman’s shoes completed the ensembles.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
“Oscars® Designer Challenge”
Online Voting to Determine Gown Worn on 81st Academy Awards® Show
Beverly Hills, CA — For the first time in its history, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is inviting the public to vote on an element of its annual Oscar® Show telecast. In “Oscars Designer Challenge,” seven up-and-coming fashion designers are vying to have their original evening gown worn by one of the Awards escorts during the 81st Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22. Members of the fashion and entertainment press were introduced today (2/10) to the seven designers and their creations at a runway fashion show at the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters.
Oscar telecast producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, along with Oscar fashion coordinator Patty Fox, selected the designers and paired them with Los Angeles-based models, one of whom will wear the public’s favorite gown while she brings Oscar statuettes onto the stage of the Kodak Theatre on Oscar Night®.
The designers participating in “Oscars Designer Challenge” are Moire Conroy, New York; Alan Del Rosario, Los Angeles; Sam Kori George, Chicago; Marianne Kooimans, Los Angeles; Maria Pinto, Chicago; Nicolas Putvinski, New York; and Robert Rodriguez, Los Angeles.
Public voting for “Oscars Designer Challenge” begins today at 3 p.m. PT at Oscar.com, the official Web site of the Academy Awards, where movie fans and fashion lovers will be able to see footage of the gowns and cast their vote. Anyone over the age of 18 can register to participate and will be eligible to vote once a day through 5 p.m. PT on February 17, 2009, when the voting period ends.
Beginning February, “Oscars Designer Challenge: Behind the Dress,” a web series documenting the competition will be on oscar.com.
The winning design will be announced first during “Oscar’s Red Carpet 2009,” the live arrivals show that will air on ABC beginning at 5 p.m. PT on February 22.
In addition to having his or her winning design worn on the live telecast, the winning designer will receive two tickets to attend the Oscars ceremony.
A team of expert hairstylists and makeup artists from Roy Teeluck Salon prepared the models for their high-fashion stroll down the runway today.
Diamonds courtesy of Diamond in the Rough, William Goldberg, Martin Katz, Neil Lane, Fred Leighton, Stephen Russell and Ivanka Trump provided the glitter for the runway show. Stuart Weitzman’s shoes completed the ensembles.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Three Finalists Named in Academy®/mtvU Oscar® Correspondent Contest
Three Finalists Named in Academy®/mtvU
Oscar® Correspondent Contest
Student Teams From Fordham University, Rice University and San Diego State University Fly to Los Angeles for Awards Week
Beverly Hills, CA — Three teams of college journalists have been selected as finalists for the first-ever “Oscar Correspondent Contest,” a joint promotion by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network. All three teams will fly to Los Angeles next week as they continue on in the hope of winning a spot on the red carpet for the 81st Annual Academy Awards®. The finalists are (listed in alphabetical order by university):
* Fordham University Senior Justin Shackil (anchor) and Senior Garry VanGenderen (videographer)
* Rice University Senior Faheem Ahmed (anchor) and Junior Anish Patel (videographer)
* San Diego State University Sophomore Megan Telles (anchor) and Junior Andrew Huse (videographer)
The three video entries of the finalist teams are now posted online at http://oscars.mtvu.com for a final round of online voting through the morning of February 20. All three teams will cover Academy Awards pre-events in Los Angeles, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Photo Op and Symposium, the Makeup Artist and Hairstylist Symposium and the Governors Ball preview. Teams will post their video coverage of these events online at http://oscars.mtvu.com for the public to view.
The Grand Prize team will be revealed on Friday, February 20, at an Academy press conference and awarded a spot on the red carpet for the 81st Academy Awards arrivals as well as credentials for access to backstage press rooms. The two other teams will receive bleacher seats along the red carpet and admission to an Oscar viewing party.
The three finalist teams beat out seven other teams of college journalists selected by the Academy and mtvU. The “Oscar Correspondent Contest” was open to teams of two college students, one anchor and one videographer, residing in the United States. For a complete list of rules and regulations, please visit http://oscars.mtvu.com.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Oscar® Correspondent Contest
Student Teams From Fordham University, Rice University and San Diego State University Fly to Los Angeles for Awards Week
Beverly Hills, CA — Three teams of college journalists have been selected as finalists for the first-ever “Oscar Correspondent Contest,” a joint promotion by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network. All three teams will fly to Los Angeles next week as they continue on in the hope of winning a spot on the red carpet for the 81st Annual Academy Awards®. The finalists are (listed in alphabetical order by university):
* Fordham University Senior Justin Shackil (anchor) and Senior Garry VanGenderen (videographer)
* Rice University Senior Faheem Ahmed (anchor) and Junior Anish Patel (videographer)
* San Diego State University Sophomore Megan Telles (anchor) and Junior Andrew Huse (videographer)
The three video entries of the finalist teams are now posted online at http://oscars.mtvu.com for a final round of online voting through the morning of February 20. All three teams will cover Academy Awards pre-events in Los Angeles, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Photo Op and Symposium, the Makeup Artist and Hairstylist Symposium and the Governors Ball preview. Teams will post their video coverage of these events online at http://oscars.mtvu.com for the public to view.
The Grand Prize team will be revealed on Friday, February 20, at an Academy press conference and awarded a spot on the red carpet for the 81st Academy Awards arrivals as well as credentials for access to backstage press rooms. The two other teams will receive bleacher seats along the red carpet and admission to an Oscar viewing party.
The three finalist teams beat out seven other teams of college journalists selected by the Academy and mtvU. The “Oscar Correspondent Contest” was open to teams of two college students, one anchor and one videographer, residing in the United States. For a complete list of rules and regulations, please visit http://oscars.mtvu.com.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Oscar Night® America to Benefit Charities Nationwide
Oscar Night® America to Benefit
Charities Nationwide
Beverly Hills, CA — On Sunday, February 22, charities in 53 cities will host official Oscar® telecast viewing parties during the 81st Academy Awards® ceremony as part of Oscar Night America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ grassroots outreach program.
The Academy sanctions charities across the country to host celebratory viewing parties on Oscar Night, with proceeds directly benefiting the charities. All parties will feature the live broadcast of the Awards presentation; many will integrate Hollywood style party elements, including red-carpet arrivals, local celebrities, “paparazzi” photographers, predict-the-winner contests and live entertainment.
The 2009 Oscar Night America charities and cities are (alphabetical by city):
* The Center for Family Resources, Atlanta, GA
* LifeWorks, Austin, TX
* AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Baltimore, MD
* The Ellie Fund, Boston, MA
* Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
* Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte, NC
* Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL
* People Working Cooperatively, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
* Red River Theatres and Cross the Bridge, Concord, NH
* USA Film Festival, Dallas, TX
* Denver Film Society, Denver, CO
* Southgate Community Players, Detroit, MI
* Waterfront Film Festival, Grand Rapids, MI
* Community Theatre of Greensboro, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC
* Junior League of Greenville, Greenville, SC
* Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition, Hartford, CT
* Hawaii International Film Festival, Honolulu, HI
* Ronald McDonald House, Houston, TX
* United Way of Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN
* Variety of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
* Arthritis Foundation, Southern Nevada Branch, Las Vegas, NV
* The Campus Theatre, Ltd., Lewisburg, PA
* Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
* Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
* Family and Children’s Place, Louisville, KY
* Ronald McDonald House, Memphis, TN
* Miami Beach Cinematheque, Home of the Miami Beach Film Society, Miami, FL
* COA Youth & Family Centers, Milwaukee, WI
* Minnesota AIDS Project, Minneapolis, MN
* Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN
* American Red Cross, Southeast Louisiana Chapter,
* New Orleans, LA
* Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Norfolk, VA
* Alzheimer’s Association, Midlands Chapter, Omaha, NE
* Variety of Orlando, Orlando, FL
* Palm Beach International Film Festival, Palm Beach, FL
* Palm Springs Women in Film & Television, Palm Springs, CA
* Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, PA
* Arthritis Foundation Greater Southwest Chapter,
* Phoenix, AZ
* Film Action Oregon, Portland, OR
* American Diabetes Association, Providence, RI
* Theatre In The Park, Raleigh, NC
* Central Virginia Film Institute, Richmond, VA
* Capital City AIDS Fund, Sacramento, CA
* Cinema St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
* Utah AIDS Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT
* Special Olympics Texas, San Antonio, TX
* San Diego Film Foundation, San Diego, CA
* California Film Institute, San Francisco, CA
* Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation, Seattle, WA
* Isabel’s House, Springfield, MO
* Tampa Theatre, Tampa, FL
* Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, Tucson, AZ
* American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, Washington, D.C.
Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated nearly $24 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised.
Last year 51 charities hosted viewing parties for nearly 16,000 guests nationwide, raising over $3.3 million.
To set these parties apart from the thousands of other events taking place on Oscar Night, each ONA party receives copies of the commemorative poster, official Academy Awards ceremony programs for guests, and other support materials.
A complete list of contact, venue and ticket information for each local ONA party can be found at www.oscar.com.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be television live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Charities Nationwide
Beverly Hills, CA — On Sunday, February 22, charities in 53 cities will host official Oscar® telecast viewing parties during the 81st Academy Awards® ceremony as part of Oscar Night America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ grassroots outreach program.
The Academy sanctions charities across the country to host celebratory viewing parties on Oscar Night, with proceeds directly benefiting the charities. All parties will feature the live broadcast of the Awards presentation; many will integrate Hollywood style party elements, including red-carpet arrivals, local celebrities, “paparazzi” photographers, predict-the-winner contests and live entertainment.
The 2009 Oscar Night America charities and cities are (alphabetical by city):
* The Center for Family Resources, Atlanta, GA
* LifeWorks, Austin, TX
* AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Baltimore, MD
* The Ellie Fund, Boston, MA
* Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
* Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte, NC
* Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL
* People Working Cooperatively, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
* Red River Theatres and Cross the Bridge, Concord, NH
* USA Film Festival, Dallas, TX
* Denver Film Society, Denver, CO
* Southgate Community Players, Detroit, MI
* Waterfront Film Festival, Grand Rapids, MI
* Community Theatre of Greensboro, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC
* Junior League of Greenville, Greenville, SC
* Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition, Hartford, CT
* Hawaii International Film Festival, Honolulu, HI
* Ronald McDonald House, Houston, TX
* United Way of Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN
* Variety of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
* Arthritis Foundation, Southern Nevada Branch, Las Vegas, NV
* The Campus Theatre, Ltd., Lewisburg, PA
* Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
* Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
* Family and Children’s Place, Louisville, KY
* Ronald McDonald House, Memphis, TN
* Miami Beach Cinematheque, Home of the Miami Beach Film Society, Miami, FL
* COA Youth & Family Centers, Milwaukee, WI
* Minnesota AIDS Project, Minneapolis, MN
* Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN
* American Red Cross, Southeast Louisiana Chapter,
* New Orleans, LA
* Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Norfolk, VA
* Alzheimer’s Association, Midlands Chapter, Omaha, NE
* Variety of Orlando, Orlando, FL
* Palm Beach International Film Festival, Palm Beach, FL
* Palm Springs Women in Film & Television, Palm Springs, CA
* Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, Philadelphia, PA
* Arthritis Foundation Greater Southwest Chapter,
* Phoenix, AZ
* Film Action Oregon, Portland, OR
* American Diabetes Association, Providence, RI
* Theatre In The Park, Raleigh, NC
* Central Virginia Film Institute, Richmond, VA
* Capital City AIDS Fund, Sacramento, CA
* Cinema St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
* Utah AIDS Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT
* Special Olympics Texas, San Antonio, TX
* San Diego Film Foundation, San Diego, CA
* California Film Institute, San Francisco, CA
* Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation, Seattle, WA
* Isabel’s House, Springfield, MO
* Tampa Theatre, Tampa, FL
* Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation, Tucson, AZ
* American Red Cross of the National Capital Area, Washington, D.C.
Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated nearly $24 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised.
Last year 51 charities hosted viewing parties for nearly 16,000 guests nationwide, raising over $3.3 million.
To set these parties apart from the thousands of other events taking place on Oscar Night, each ONA party receives copies of the commemorative poster, official Academy Awards ceremony programs for guests, and other support materials.
A complete list of contact, venue and ticket information for each local ONA party can be found at www.oscar.com.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be television live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
@Radical.Media to Produce Opening Film Segment for Oscar® Show
@Radical.Media to Produce Opening
Film Segment for Oscar® Show
Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has engaged @radical.media to produce the film segment that will open the 81st Academy Awards® telecast. The piece will be a celebration of the language of film and the spirit of moviemaking and will include guest appearances by some of today’s moviemaking icons. It will be directed by Bennett Miller, who was nominated for a Directing Oscar in 2005 for “Capote.”
This is the second association between @radical.media and the Oscar show. In 2002 @radical.media produced the film segment that opened for the 75th anniversary of the Academy Awards.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Foreign Language Film Directors to Take the Stage at Oscar® Week Symposium
Foreign Language Film Directors
to Take the Stage at Oscar® Week Symposium
Beverly Hills, CA — Filmmakers from Austria, France, Germany, Israel and Japan will participate in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Symposium on Saturday, February 21, at 10 a.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Moderated by Foreign Language Film chair Mark Johnson (“Rain Man,” “The Chronicles of Narnia”), the program will feature the directors (subject to availability) of this year’s nominated foreign language films in a live onstage discussion addressing such issues as art, politics and the challenges of their profession.
The two-hour event will also present clips from all of the nominated films.
The 2008 Foreign Language Film nominees are:
Austria, “Revanche,” Götz Spielmann, director
France, “The Class,” Laurent Cantet, director
Germany, “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” Uli Edel, director
Israel, “Waltz with Bashir,” Ari Folman, director
Japan, “Departures,” Yojiro Takita, director
Admission is free, but advance tickets are required. This event is sold out. A standby line will form at the theater’s west doors on the day of the event. Standby numbers will be assigned at approximately 8 a.m. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 9 a.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
to Take the Stage at Oscar® Week Symposium
Beverly Hills, CA — Filmmakers from Austria, France, Germany, Israel and Japan will participate in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Symposium on Saturday, February 21, at 10 a.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Moderated by Foreign Language Film chair Mark Johnson (“Rain Man,” “The Chronicles of Narnia”), the program will feature the directors (subject to availability) of this year’s nominated foreign language films in a live onstage discussion addressing such issues as art, politics and the challenges of their profession.
The two-hour event will also present clips from all of the nominated films.
The 2008 Foreign Language Film nominees are:
Austria, “Revanche,” Götz Spielmann, director
France, “The Class,” Laurent Cantet, director
Germany, “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” Uli Edel, director
Israel, “Waltz with Bashir,” Ari Folman, director
Japan, “Departures,” Yojiro Takita, director
Admission is free, but advance tickets are required. This event is sold out. A standby line will form at the theater’s west doors on the day of the event. Standby numbers will be assigned at approximately 8 a.m. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 9 a.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Animated Feature Film Nominees to Join Oscar® Week Festivities
Animated Feature Film Nominees
to Join Oscar® Week Festivities
Beverly Hills, CA — In celebration of the 2008 nominees in the Animated Feature Film category, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present its first Animated Feature Symposium on Thursday, February 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The program, moderated by animator and animation historian Tom Sito, will feature onstage discussions with the nominated filmmakers (subject to availability) and clips from the films.
The 2008 Animated Feature Film nominees are:
“Bolt,” Chris Williams and Byron Howard, directors
“Kung Fu Panda,” John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, directors
“WALL-E,” Andrew Stanton, director
Admission is free, but advance tickets are required. This event is sold out. A standby line will form at the theater’s west doors on the day of the event. Standby numbers will be assigned at approximately 5:30 p.m. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
to Join Oscar® Week Festivities
Beverly Hills, CA — In celebration of the 2008 nominees in the Animated Feature Film category, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present its first Animated Feature Symposium on Thursday, February 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The program, moderated by animator and animation historian Tom Sito, will feature onstage discussions with the nominated filmmakers (subject to availability) and clips from the films.
The 2008 Animated Feature Film nominees are:
“Bolt,” Chris Williams and Byron Howard, directors
“Kung Fu Panda,” John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, directors
“WALL-E,” Andrew Stanton, director
Admission is free, but advance tickets are required. This event is sold out. A standby line will form at the theater’s west doors on the day of the event. Standby numbers will be assigned at approximately 5:30 p.m. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Street Closures Announced for Oscar® Week
Street Closures Announced for Oscar® Week
Beverly Hills, CA — To ensure public safety, support security strategies and facilitate the production of the 81st Academy Awards® show, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the City of Los Angeles have finalized street closure plans around the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood.
To accommodate the construction of press risers, fan bleachers and pre-show stages along the Academy Awards red carpet, Hollywood Boulevard will be closed between Highland Avenue and Orange Drive beginning at 10 p.m. on Sunday, February 15. It will reopen at 6 a.m. on February 16, close again at 10 p.m. that same day, and then remain closed until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, February 24.
MTA subway trains will bypass the Hollywood & Highland station after the last regularly scheduled train on Saturday, February 21, until 6 a.m. Monday, February 23. Service at the station will resume with the first scheduled train after 6 a.m.
Between Sunday, February 15, and Sunday, February 22, the day of the Academy Awards presentation, additional streets and sidewalks will be closed for varying periods.
Details of the closures and maps of affected areas are available from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Sixth and the Thirteenth District City Council field offices, at www.navigatehollywood.com, and on the Academy's Web site http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/closures.html.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Beverly Hills, CA — To ensure public safety, support security strategies and facilitate the production of the 81st Academy Awards® show, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the City of Los Angeles have finalized street closure plans around the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood.
To accommodate the construction of press risers, fan bleachers and pre-show stages along the Academy Awards red carpet, Hollywood Boulevard will be closed between Highland Avenue and Orange Drive beginning at 10 p.m. on Sunday, February 15. It will reopen at 6 a.m. on February 16, close again at 10 p.m. that same day, and then remain closed until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, February 24.
MTA subway trains will bypass the Hollywood & Highland station after the last regularly scheduled train on Saturday, February 21, until 6 a.m. Monday, February 23. Service at the station will resume with the first scheduled train after 6 a.m.
Between Sunday, February 15, and Sunday, February 22, the day of the Academy Awards presentation, additional streets and sidewalks will be closed for varying periods.
Details of the closures and maps of affected areas are available from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Sixth and the Thirteenth District City Council field offices, at www.navigatehollywood.com, and on the Academy's Web site http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/closures.html.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Oscar’s Nominated Shorts to Screen in NYC
Oscar’s Nominated Shorts to Screen in NYC
Beverly Hills, CA — On Saturday, February 14, New York movie lovers will have the opportunity to see all 10 of this year’s Oscar®-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International (111 East 59th Street). There will be two separate screenings of the nominated films, the first at noon and an encore presentation at 4 p.m.
Robert Osborne, columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, host of Turner Classic Movies and author of the new book 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards, will serve as host of the noon screening and will also be available at 11 a.m. to sign copies of his book.
The 2008 Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film nominees are:
Animated Short Film
“La Maison en Petits Cubes,” Kunio Kato, director
“Lavatory-Lovestory,” Konstantin Bronzit, director
“Oktapodi,” Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand, directors
“Presto,” Doug Sweetland, director
“This Way Up,” Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes, directors
Live Action Short Film
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line),” Reto Caffi, director
”Manon on the Asphalt,” Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont, directors
“New Boy,” Steph Green, director, and Tamara Anghie, producer
“The Pig,” Tivi Magnusson, producer, and Dorte Høgh, director
“Spielzeugland (Toyland),” Jochen Alexander Freydank, producer-director
Tickets for “Shorts!” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org beginning Monday, February 2, or at the Academy box office on the day of the event (subject to availability).
The box office will open at 10:30 a.m.; doors open at 11 a.m. for the first screening and 3 p.m. for the encore screening. All seating is unreserved. For additional information call (212) 821-9251 or visit www.oscars.org/.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Beverly Hills, CA — On Saturday, February 14, New York movie lovers will have the opportunity to see all 10 of this year’s Oscar®-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International (111 East 59th Street). There will be two separate screenings of the nominated films, the first at noon and an encore presentation at 4 p.m.
Robert Osborne, columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, host of Turner Classic Movies and author of the new book 80 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards, will serve as host of the noon screening and will also be available at 11 a.m. to sign copies of his book.
The 2008 Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film nominees are:
Animated Short Film
“La Maison en Petits Cubes,” Kunio Kato, director
“Lavatory-Lovestory,” Konstantin Bronzit, director
“Oktapodi,” Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand, directors
“Presto,” Doug Sweetland, director
“This Way Up,” Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes, directors
Live Action Short Film
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line),” Reto Caffi, director
”Manon on the Asphalt,” Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont, directors
“New Boy,” Steph Green, director, and Tamara Anghie, producer
“The Pig,” Tivi Magnusson, producer, and Dorte Høgh, director
“Spielzeugland (Toyland),” Jochen Alexander Freydank, producer-director
Tickets for “Shorts!” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org beginning Monday, February 2, or at the Academy box office on the day of the event (subject to availability).
The box office will open at 10:30 a.m.; doors open at 11 a.m. for the first screening and 3 p.m. for the encore screening. All seating is unreserved. For additional information call (212) 821-9251 or visit www.oscars.org/.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Jessica Biel to Host Academy’s Sci-Tech Awards
Jessica Biel to Host
Academy’s Sci-Tech Awards
Beverly Hills, CA —Actress Jessica Biel will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday, February 7, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills.
Biel will next be seen in “Easy Virtue,” a feature opening in May in which she stars opposite Colin Firth and Kristen Scott Thomas. She recently completed “Nailed” with Jake Gyllenhaal, James Marsden and Catherine Keener. Biel’s credits also include roles in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,” “The Illusionist” and “Elizabethtown.”
Among the six awards that Biel will present during the evening is the Academy’s Gordon E. Sawyer Award, an Oscar® statuette, which is being bestowed on Ed Catmull for his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry.
The Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation is not televised but filmed excerpts from the event will be integrated into the 81st Academy Awards® telecast later this month.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Academy’s Sci-Tech Awards
Beverly Hills, CA —Actress Jessica Biel will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday, February 7, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills.
Biel will next be seen in “Easy Virtue,” a feature opening in May in which she stars opposite Colin Firth and Kristen Scott Thomas. She recently completed “Nailed” with Jake Gyllenhaal, James Marsden and Catherine Keener. Biel’s credits also include roles in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,” “The Illusionist” and “Elizabethtown.”
Among the six awards that Biel will present during the evening is the Academy’s Gordon E. Sawyer Award, an Oscar® statuette, which is being bestowed on Ed Catmull for his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry.
The Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation is not televised but filmed excerpts from the event will be integrated into the 81st Academy Awards® telecast later this month.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Waldo picks the Oscar winners
According to my friend Anonymous, this basically means I will say the same thing everyone else does. Here we go.
Best Visual Effects- Iron Man
Best Art Direction- The Dark Knight
Best Makeup- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Animated Short Film- Presto
Best Live Action Short Film- New Boy
Best Sound Editing- Iron Man
Best Sound Mixing- The Dark Knight
Best Costume Design- The Duchess
Best Cinematography- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Documentary Short Subject- The Final Inch
Best Film Editing- The Dark Knight
Best Original Song- Jai Ho Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Score- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Documentary Feature- Man on Wire
Best Foreign Film- Waltz with Bashir
Best Actor- Mickey Rourke The Wrestler
Best Supporting Actor- Heath Ledger The Dark Knight
Best Actress- Kate Winslet The Reader
Best Supporting Actress- Taraji P. Henson The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Animated Feature- Wall-E
Best Original Screenplay- Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay- Frost/Nixon
Best Director- David Fincher The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Picture- Slumdog Millionaire
Best Visual Effects- Iron Man
Best Art Direction- The Dark Knight
Best Makeup- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Animated Short Film- Presto
Best Live Action Short Film- New Boy
Best Sound Editing- Iron Man
Best Sound Mixing- The Dark Knight
Best Costume Design- The Duchess
Best Cinematography- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Documentary Short Subject- The Final Inch
Best Film Editing- The Dark Knight
Best Original Song- Jai Ho Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Score- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Documentary Feature- Man on Wire
Best Foreign Film- Waltz with Bashir
Best Actor- Mickey Rourke The Wrestler
Best Supporting Actor- Heath Ledger The Dark Knight
Best Actress- Kate Winslet The Reader
Best Supporting Actress- Taraji P. Henson The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Animated Feature- Wall-E
Best Original Screenplay- Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay- Frost/Nixon
Best Director- David Fincher The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Picture- Slumdog Millionaire
Oscar®-Nominated Shorts to Play in L.A.
Oscar®-Nominated Shorts to Play in L.A.
Beverly Hills, CA — To kick off Oscar Week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present “Shorts!,” a program featuring screenings of all the 2008 Academy Award®-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories, on Tuesday, February 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The program will feature onstage discussions with the nominated filmmakers (subject to availability).
The 2008 Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film nominees are:
Animated Short Film
“La Maison en Petits Cubes,” Kunio Kato, director
“Lavatory-Lovestory,” Konstantin Bronzit, director
“Oktapodi,” Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand, directors
“Presto,” Doug Sweetland, director
“This Way Up,” Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes, directors
Live Action Short Film
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line),” Reto Caffi, director
“Manon on the Asphalt,” Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont, directors
“New Boy,” Steph Green, director, and Tamara Anghie, producer
“The Pig,” Tivi Magnusson, producer, and Dorte Høgh, director
“Spielzeugland (Toyland),” Jochen Alexander Freydank, producer-director
Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, or at the Academy’s box office during regular business hours beginning Monday, February 2, at 9 a.m.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Beverly Hills, CA — To kick off Oscar Week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present “Shorts!,” a program featuring screenings of all the 2008 Academy Award®-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories, on Tuesday, February 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The program will feature onstage discussions with the nominated filmmakers (subject to availability).
The 2008 Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film nominees are:
Animated Short Film
“La Maison en Petits Cubes,” Kunio Kato, director
“Lavatory-Lovestory,” Konstantin Bronzit, director
“Oktapodi,” Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand, directors
“Presto,” Doug Sweetland, director
“This Way Up,” Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes, directors
Live Action Short Film
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line),” Reto Caffi, director
“Manon on the Asphalt,” Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont, directors
“New Boy,” Steph Green, director, and Tamara Anghie, producer
“The Pig,” Tivi Magnusson, producer, and Dorte Høgh, director
“Spielzeugland (Toyland),” Jochen Alexander Freydank, producer-director
Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, or at the Academy’s box office during regular business hours beginning Monday, February 2, at 9 a.m.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Makeup Nominees To Add Glamour To Oscar® Week Event
Makeup Nominees To Add Glamour To
Oscar® Week Event
Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the Makeup Artist and Hairstylist Symposium, a program spotlighting the work of the 2008 Academy Award® nominees in the Makeup category, on Saturday, February 21, at 2:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The program, moderated by Academy governor Leonard Engelman, will feature a discussion of the nominees’ creative process as well as present film clips, photographs and models of their work.
The 2008 Makeup nominees are:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Greg Cannom, special makeup creator and applicator
“The Dark Knight,” John Caglione, Jr., Heath Ledger’s makeup artist; Conor O’Sullivan, prosthetic supervisor
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” Mike Elizalde, creative and makeup effects designer; Thom Floutz, Abe Sapien makeup artist
Admission is free, but advance tickets are required and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets can be obtained online at www.oscars.org, by mail, or at the Academy’s box office during regular business hours beginning Monday, February 2, at 9 a.m.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org/.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Friday, January 30, 2009
10 Semifinalists Named in Academy/ mtvU “Oscar® Correspondent Contest"
10 Semifinalists Named in Academy/ mtvU “Oscar® Correspondent Contest”
Voting Begins Online Today; Grand Prize Winners to Earn Red Carpet and Backstage Press Credentials for 81st Academy Awards®
Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, today announced ten teams of college journalists as semifinalists in the first-ever “Oscar Correspondent Contest,” each vying for a coveted position on the red carpet at the 81st Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Video entries from the semifinalist teams are posted online at http://oscars.mtvu.com, where students and other viewers can vote for their favorite college journalists until February 6. The semifinalists are (listed in alphabetical order by university):
- Bowling Green State University Senior Nicole Lovince (anchor) and Senior Chad Courtney (videographer)
- Drexel University Senior Dylan Steinberg (anchor) and Senior Bruce Pinchbeck (videographer)
- Duke University Junior David Distenfeld (anchor) and Junior Lawrence Chen (videographer)
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Senior Chantell Black (anchor) and Senior Guy Lemonier (videographer)
- Fordham University Senior Justin Shackil (anchor) and Senior Garry VanGenderen (videographer)
- New York University Freshman Diana Snyder (anchor) and Freshman Mike Ren (videographer)
- Rice University Senior Faheem Ahmed (anchor) and Junior Anish Patel (videographer)
- San Diego State University Sophomore Megan Telles (anchor) and Junior Andrew Huse (videographer)
- University of Cincinnati Senior Rachel Alig (anchor) and Senior Kathryn Jeffries (videographer)
- University of Miami Senior Nick Maslow (anchor) and Senior David Marcus (videographer)
On February 9, the three teams with the most online votes, and as agreed upon by the Academy and mtvU, will advance to the final round of competition, with online voting from February 9 to February 20 at 12:00 pm PT/ 3:00 pm ET. All three finalist teams will be flown to Los Angeles to cover Academy Awards® pre-events, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Symposium, the Makeup Artist and Hairstylist Symposium and the Governors Ball preview.
The Grand Prize team will be revealed on Friday, February 20, at an Academy press conference, and awarded a spot on the red carpet for the 81st Academy Awards arrivals as well as credentials for access to backstage press rooms. The two other teams will receive bleacher seats along the red carpet and admission to an Oscar viewing party.
The ten semi-finalist teams were selected by the Academy and mtvU from videos submitted for the competition. These entries were judged based on equally weighted criteria including originality, creativity, and by which entries were most compelling. The competition was open to teams of two college students, one anchor and one videographer, residing in the United States. For a complete list of rules and regulations for the “Oscar Correspondent Contest,” please visit http://oscars.mtvu.com.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Oscar® Is Center Stage in 81st Academy Awards® Poster
Oscar® Is Center Stage in
81st Academy Awards® Poster
Beverly Hills, CA —The iconic Oscar statuette is spotlighted center stage among the bright, glowing lights of the Kodak Theatre in the official poster of the 81st Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences announced today. The poster is now available for purchase.
The artwork presents the point of view that host Hugh Jackman and Academy Award® winners, presenters and performers will experience from the stage of the Kodak on February 22.
The posters will be ready to ship in late January with distribution of more than 50,000 posters worldwide. The poster will only be available on the Academy’s Web site at www.oscars.org or by calling 1-800-554-1814.
The 27x40-inch color poster is printed on premium quality, Forest Stewardship Certified paper. This is the only 81st Academy Awards commemorative item available for sale to the public.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Final 2008 Oscar® Ballots Mailed to Academy Members
Final 2008 Oscar® Ballots
Mailed to Academy Members
Beverly Hills, CA — Final ballots for the 81st Academy Awards® were mailed today (January 28) to the 5,810 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. Tuesday, February 17. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.
Listed on the ballots are nominees in 19 Awards categories. Separate ballots for 5 categories (Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Foreign Language Film, Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film) will be distributed after verification of mandatory member attendance at screenings.
Following the tabulation of the votes, the winners’ names will be placed in sealed envelopes to be opened on Oscar Night®, Sunday, February 22.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Producer Credits Determined for Best Picture Nominee
Producer Credits Determined for
Best Picture Nominee
Beverly Hills, CA — Producer credits for Academy Award® Best Picture nominee “The Reader” have been determined by the Producers Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The official nominees for the film are Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris.
Because four producers were listed on the credits form submitted for Oscar® consideration and Academy rules allow for only three producers – except in “a rare and extraordinary circumstance” – to be nominated and potentially receive Oscar statuettes, a meeting of the executive committee was necessary. In the end, the committee determined that the circumstances of “The Reader” – in which the two original producers (Minghella and Pollack) both died partway through the process – met its definition of “rare and extraordinary” and that all four submitted individuals should be named as nominees.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Cecchetto to Produce Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball
Cecchetto to Produce
Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA — For the 20th consecutive year, special events producer Cheryl Cecchetto has been chosen to produce the Governors Ball, the celebration following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
Cecchetto, along with her Sequoia Productions team, will work with Governors Ball Chair Cheryl Boone Isaacs to manage every detail pertaining to the event, including decor, entertainment, food and personnel.
“This year’s Governors Ball will be a marriage of simplicity and beauty that will reflect the Academy’s tradition of elegance as well as its contemporary style,” said Cecchetto.
The Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball will be held in the Grand Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center®.
In 2009 Sequoia Productions will produce events for numerous clients, including the recent G’Day USA Black Tie Gala Los Angeles presented by Penfolds, Ausfilm and Qantas Airways, and the 61st Annual Emmy® Awards Governors Ball.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA — For the 20th consecutive year, special events producer Cheryl Cecchetto has been chosen to produce the Governors Ball, the celebration following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
Cecchetto, along with her Sequoia Productions team, will work with Governors Ball Chair Cheryl Boone Isaacs to manage every detail pertaining to the event, including decor, entertainment, food and personnel.
“This year’s Governors Ball will be a marriage of simplicity and beauty that will reflect the Academy’s tradition of elegance as well as its contemporary style,” said Cecchetto.
The Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball will be held in the Grand Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center®.
In 2009 Sequoia Productions will produce events for numerous clients, including the recent G’Day USA Black Tie Gala Los Angeles presented by Penfolds, Ausfilm and Qantas Airways, and the 61st Annual Emmy® Awards Governors Ball.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Wolfgang Puck to Create 2009 Governors Ball Menu
Wolfgang Puck to Create
2009 Governors Ball Menu
Beverly Hills, CA — For the 15th consecutive year, master chef Wolfgang Puck has been selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to create the menu for the Governors Ball, the celebration immediately following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
“The Governors Ball is the highlight of the season,” said Puck. “Our menu will have star-quality ingredients each dish showcasing the essence of seasonal flavor. With locally grown, sustainable and organic ingredients, guests will enjoy an award-worthy culinary experience.”
Wolfgang Puck Catering will be serving the Academy’s 1,500 Ball guests, which will include Oscar® winners, nominees, presenters and telecast participants.
The menu created by Puck and chefs Lee Hefter and Matt Bencivenga will feature several Ball favorites, including Tuna Tartare in Sesame Miso Cones; Chopped Chino Farms Vegetable Salad with Ginger Soy Vinaigrette, Maine Lobster and Caviar; and Pastry Chef Sherry Yard’s gold-dusted chocolate Oscars®.
Working in a state-of-the-art kitchen adjacent to the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, Puck will lead a team of chefs, pastry chefs and culinary artists who will be responsible for the cooking, presentation and execution of the menu.
Wolfgang Puck Catering, established in 1998, provides restaurant-quality catering and operates premiere cultural, corporate and entertainment settings in thirteen markets across the country. The Wolfgang Puck Companies – which comprise 16 fine dining restaurants, more than 80 Gourmet Express fast-casual restaurants, premium catering services in over 32 exclusive venues nationwide, and quality kitchen and food merchandise – constitute a brand standing for a culinary passion for eating and dining well.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
2009 Governors Ball Menu
Beverly Hills, CA — For the 15th consecutive year, master chef Wolfgang Puck has been selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to create the menu for the Governors Ball, the celebration immediately following the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
“The Governors Ball is the highlight of the season,” said Puck. “Our menu will have star-quality ingredients each dish showcasing the essence of seasonal flavor. With locally grown, sustainable and organic ingredients, guests will enjoy an award-worthy culinary experience.”
Wolfgang Puck Catering will be serving the Academy’s 1,500 Ball guests, which will include Oscar® winners, nominees, presenters and telecast participants.
The menu created by Puck and chefs Lee Hefter and Matt Bencivenga will feature several Ball favorites, including Tuna Tartare in Sesame Miso Cones; Chopped Chino Farms Vegetable Salad with Ginger Soy Vinaigrette, Maine Lobster and Caviar; and Pastry Chef Sherry Yard’s gold-dusted chocolate Oscars®.
Working in a state-of-the-art kitchen adjacent to the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, Puck will lead a team of chefs, pastry chefs and culinary artists who will be responsible for the cooking, presentation and execution of the menu.
Wolfgang Puck Catering, established in 1998, provides restaurant-quality catering and operates premiere cultural, corporate and entertainment settings in thirteen markets across the country. The Wolfgang Puck Companies – which comprise 16 fine dining restaurants, more than 80 Gourmet Express fast-casual restaurants, premium catering services in over 32 exclusive venues nationwide, and quality kitchen and food merchandise – constitute a brand standing for a culinary passion for eating and dining well.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs to Chair Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball
Cheryl Boone Isaacs to Chair
Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA — Cheryl Boone Isaacs, an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences governor representing the Public Relations Branch, will chair the Governors Ball, the celebration that will follow the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
“Oscar® season culminates with the Governors Ball,” said Boone Isaacs. “It’s wonderful when the anticipation and suspense give way to pure celebration, and everyone can relax and reflect on the achievements of the past year.”
In her seventh year as chair, Boone Isaacs will manage the overall planning of the decor, menu and entertainment for the Ball.
The Ball’s 1,500 guests, who include Academy Award® winners and nominees, show presenters and telecast participants, will celebrate in the Grand Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center® immediately following the telecast.
Boone Isaacs heads CBI Enterprises, Inc., a strategic marketing company. She was previously president of theatrical marketing at New Line Cinema, and prior to that executive vice president of worldwide publicity at Paramount Pictures.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Academy’s 2009 Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA — Cheryl Boone Isaacs, an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences governor representing the Public Relations Branch, will chair the Governors Ball, the celebration that will follow the 81st Academy Awards® presentation on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
“Oscar® season culminates with the Governors Ball,” said Boone Isaacs. “It’s wonderful when the anticipation and suspense give way to pure celebration, and everyone can relax and reflect on the achievements of the past year.”
In her seventh year as chair, Boone Isaacs will manage the overall planning of the decor, menu and entertainment for the Ball.
The Ball’s 1,500 guests, who include Academy Award® winners and nominees, show presenters and telecast participants, will celebrate in the Grand Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center® immediately following the telecast.
Boone Isaacs heads CBI Enterprises, Inc., a strategic marketing company. She was previously president of theatrical marketing at New Line Cinema, and prior to that executive vice president of worldwide publicity at Paramount Pictures.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Oscar nominees announced
Ok so I got four out of five on best picture.
81st Academy Awards®
Nominations Announced
Beverly Hills, CA — Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced today (Thursday, January 22) by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis and Oscar® winner Forest Whitaker.
Ganis and Whitaker, who won an Academy Award® for his lead performance in “The Last King of Scotland” (2006), announced the nominees in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:38 a.m. PT live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. Lists of nominations in all categories then were distributed to the news media in attendance and via the Internet on the official Academy Awards Web site, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominations are selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.
Nominations ballots were mailed to the 5,810 voting members in late December and were returned directly to Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, the international accounting firm, for tabulation.
Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members this weekend at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Screenings also will be held at the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and San Francisco.
All active and life members of the Academy are eligible to select the winners in all categories, although in five of them – Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject and Foreign Language Film members can vote only if they have seen all of the nominated films in those categories.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards
Performance by an actor in a leading role
- Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
- Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
- Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
- Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
- Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
- Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
- Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
- Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
- Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
- Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
- Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
- Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
- Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
- Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated feature film of the year
- “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
- “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
- “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton
Achievement in art direction
- “Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
- “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
- “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
- “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Achievement in cinematography
- “Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
- “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
- “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle
Achievement in costume design
- “Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
- “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
- “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
- “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky
Achievement in directing
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
- “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
- “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
- “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle
Best documentary feature
- “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
- “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
- “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
- “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
- “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Best documentary short subject
- “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
- “The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
- “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
- “The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
Achievement in film editing
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
- “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
- “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
- “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens
Best foreign language film of the year
- “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
- “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
- “Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
- “Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
- “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel
Achievement in makeup
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
- “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
- “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat
- “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
- “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
- “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
- “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
- “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
- “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam
Best motion picture of the year
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
- “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
- “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
- “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer
Best animated short film
- “La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
- “Lavatory - Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
- “Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
- “Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
- “This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Best live action short film
- “Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
- “Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
- “New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
- “The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
- “Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank
Achievement in sound editing
- “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
- “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
- “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
- “Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman
Achievement in sound mixing
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
- “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
- “WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
- “Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
Achievement in visual effects
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
- “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
- “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
Adapted screenplay
- “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
- “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
- “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
- “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
- “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Original screenplay
- “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
- “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
- “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
- “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
- “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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