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)

And my favorite web sensation of all time...

Spaghetti Cat, honored in song

And then there's this

Must get a Tesla Coil

WTF COMEDY?

Evidently there are worse comedians in the world than Carrot Top.

Remember when cartoons were awesome?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

My review of the Mazda Miata

It's not as rubbish as I thought it would be.

@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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.