William Ross will conduct the Oscar orchestra for the Academy Awards, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced this week.

“We are happy to have Bill Ross conduct the Oscar orchestra,” said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. “With a show so rich with music, we are so pleased to have someone as talented as Bill on our team.”

Ross, who conducted for the 79th and 83rd Academy Awards, is a prolific award-winning composer and arranger whose work encompasses feature films, television and the music recording industry. He has arranged music for artists such as Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Kenny G., Sting, Quincy Jones, Seal, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston. The records on which he has worked have sold a total of over 250 million copies in the United States.

Ross has written original scores for such films as ‘The Tale of Despereaux’, ‘Ladder 49’, ‘Tuck Everlasting’ and ‘My Dog Skip’. He also adapted and conducted the score to ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’.

Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide. For more information go to Oscar.com or download the official Oscars app.

Image Courtesy : William Ross

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Acclaimed motion picture, television and theater producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will produce the 85th Academy Awards, Academy President Hawk Koch announced last month. This will be the duo’s first involvement with the Oscars. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013.

“Craig and Neil are forward thinkers who bring a unique perspective to the Oscar show,” Koch said. “Their enormous collective talent, coupled with their love of film, serves our show perfectly.”

“We are very excited to collaborate with Hawk and everyone at the Academy to produce this year’s Oscars,” said Zadan and Meron. “We hope to utilize our experience in producing features, TV and theater to bring something fresh and special to this incredible awards show. When we filmed ‘The Bucket List,’ we made our own personal bucket list, and producing the Oscars was #1. It’s truly a great honor.”

“Craig and Neil have great talent relationships and bring an infectious energy to the production,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.” They are creative producers in the best sense of the word.”

Zadan and Meron served as executive producers on the 2002 Best Picture winner ‘Chicago’, which won Oscars in six of the 13 categories in which it was nominated. Their credits also include the features ‘Footloose’ (2011), ‘Hairspray’ and ‘The Bucket List.’

Zadan also produced the original ‘Footloose’ (1984).

Zadan and Meron’s work in television includes the series “SMASH” and such movies as ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and the upcoming ‘Steel Magnolias’.

For Broadway, they recently produced the Tony Award winning revivals of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Promises, Promises.”

Their work has amassed 73 Emmy nominations; 12 Tony nominations; and seven Grammy nominations.

The 85th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Gore Verbinski was celebrated last night for his first animated venture ‘Rango’, taking home the golden statue for Best Animated Feature. “Someone asked me if this film was for kids and, I don’t know, but it was certainly created by a bunch of grownups acting like children and we just had the best time,” the director and screenwriter said in his acceptance speech.

Verbinski is best known as the man behind the successful ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ -trilogy and his working relations with Johnny Depp, who depicted the swashbuckle galore of Captain Jack Sparrow, has led to the colorful collaboration for Rango. “I want to thank the real-world chameleon, Mr. Johnny Depp,” said Verbinski, “and the entire cast for coming out and playing.”

It doesn’t get any better than this, thank you.

After leaving the stage, the eager Oscar press corps were ready to ask about the win.

Q. So you developed this movie completely outside of the studio system completely by design. I’m wondering if you feel like there’s a message in that for other people who are trying to do really off the wall pictures?

A. It helps when you’re friends with Johnny Depp. I mean, we needed money and, you know, once Johnny said he was in, it was things started to happen. But we didn’t go right to a studio we went to Graham Graham King who gave us enough money to do the story reel. So for the first 18 months we were just out of our house, seven artists and John Logan, long walks you know, barbecues in the backyard. It was great.

Q. What is the takeaway for you as a filmmaker having done this and gone back and forth now between live action and animation?

A. This it’s a pretty profound question. I mean they’re two completely different hats. I suppose underneath all of it it’s just, you know, finding a story you want to tell in the same way you would as you were if you were sitting around a campfire or something. But completely different. I mean there’s no there are no gifts in animation. We have to fabricate everything including the anomalies, you know, and yet now I’m two days into shooting a live action picture. I actually go back tomorrow to shoot, and you know, there’s chaos and you can’t you can’t orchestrate things exactly how you want them, but when events happen, they’re set in stone and you’re done. So completely different hat. I mean, I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s just every every aspect of it is so different.

Q. You did something a little unorthodox in this film. You actually put all the actors in the same room and had them act. How much do you think that contributed to the success of the film?

A. Well, I don’t know about the success, but I don’t know any other way to direct actors. I mean, it’s I want them to act and react. I suppose it I think it made it feel like it was occurring and we encouraged line overlaps and we encouraged people to be out of breath. So we really were kind of paranoid of the computer making things clinical, and it so lends itself to perfection. So suddenly you had the feeling I guess in the soundtrack that there was a tortoise talking to a lizard, because Johnny was talking to Ned Beatty and they were actually playing the scene together. So I think there’s there’s something in there. There’s some sort of DNA underneath it all. But ultimately it was just a fear of having somebody sit with a bit of text in front of a microphone. I mean, I haven’t done that since I was selling sugar water, Budweiser, you know, or whatever, doing commercials, but that’s so distant from, you know, getting a performance.

Q. Gore, if you ever allowed yourself to dream of winning an Oscar, did you hope that it was going to be for a live action or for animation?

A. I don’t know. I feel like I’m dreaming right now, so I don’t I don’t think it matters. I mean, it’s here. It’s in my hand. It’s very heavy. It feels good.

Q. All right. As a friend of Johnny Depp, can you possibly describe what makes him fascinating? What makes him deliver even in an animated film, something more than any other actor could?

A. Well, I think every actor has a different process. He just, you know, really is brave in kind of pursuing the sort of awkward moment in trying to find something that’s not really rehearsed, or to try to find a way to approach something. If the lines are in one way, he’ll always come at it a different way. So I just, I think we have something in common in that sort of pursuit of trying to find working it until it’s genuinely a little off.

Image Courtesy of  84th Annual Academy Awards Awards®

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The heartbreaking tale of acid violence in Pakistan and the women victimized by the heinous practice won the category of Best Documentary (Short Subject) at this years Academy Awards, celebrated at the Hollywood and Highland Center last night.

Directors Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Daniel Junge followed the work of Dr. Mohammad Jawad in his native Pakistan where he performed reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid attacks. The film explores the problem as the women struggle for justice and the return of a dignified life.

Credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Daniel Junge took the word at first by saying “it’s more important that the Pakistani on the stage speak instead of me” to which Obaid-Chinoy responded:

Daniel and I want to dedicate this award to all the heroes working on the ground in Pakistan including Dr. Mohammad Jawad who’s here with us today, the plastic surgeon working on rehabilitating all these women, Rukhsana and Zakia who are our main subjects of the film whose resilience and bravery in the face of such adversity is admirable, and to all the women in Pakistan who are working for change, don’t give up on your dreams. This is for you.

The brief but beautiful speech was met by applause and the Oscar press corps welcomed the shaky, but thrilled winners afterwards.

A. (Daniel Junge) This is only a third less nerve racking than being up there. But still all the same. I think it’s important to note that this is the first Pakistani director nominated and now winning an Academy Award, which is really worth yeah, applaud. Thank you.

Q. Sharmeen, in an interview with Voice of America, you said that winning an Oscar was never a destination, it was never a goal in front of you. What does Oscar mean for you?

A. (Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy) Well, I think that it reinforces the fact today that you can be anyone and come from anywhere, but if you put quality work out there, that it will be judged on just that; the work that you put out there. And I think that some of the choices that the Academy’s made today an Irani film has won, a Pakistani film has won shows that, yes, the Academy does value good work that’s put out across the world, not just in North America.

Q. What would you like for Americans to know about Pakistan that we probably don’t know?

A. (Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy) That it’s possible that women like myself are born and raised there, emancipated, educated women, who return back to Pakistan to give back to that country. I lived in the United States for ten years. I went to college here and worked here, and I chose to go back because people like myself need to go back to create change in Pakistan.

Q. When you look back at the challenges that you have to go through while making this movie and, obviously, you overcame them, how do you feel about that now that you’ve won the Oscar?

A. (Daniel Junge) Any and all films are challenging, especially for we documentary filmmakers and even more so when you are documenting such dark, difficult subject matter. But I think that the fact that we were able to find redemption within the film and the fact that such that inklings that a hint of change happened while we were in the film is really as valuable as this, but not quite.

Q. Being the first filmmaker from Pakistan to win, can you tell us what kind of film industry you have in Pakistan? Is it thriving or is it also affected by the worldwide trend?

A. (Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy) In the fifties and sixties we had a vibrant film industry. Unfortunately, after that, it sort of died down. And now my generation, there are a number of filmmakers, we are trying to revive that, but it’s few and far between. And I hope that this will be an impetus to getting a more flourishing film industry in Pakistan.

Image Courtesy of   Matt Brown / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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The seeds of a memorable film most often comes from the craftsmanship of a well-written screenplay. For the Oscars 2012, the winners in the categories Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay were equally expected as they were surprising.

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash were awarded for their delicate adapted drama ‘The Descendants’, capturing the inner turmoil of a fractured family and personal chaos of an estranged father and betrayed husband. Backstage, the Oscar press corps caught up with them.

Credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. I was wondering, from their first draft, what did you keep, what did you like, because I’m under the impression that you just rewrote everything and shot with your version of the script. And I’m just wondering what you kept from what Jim and Nat did.

A. (Alexander Payne) They paved a path for me because they had been through the book quite a few times, they had done a number of drafts. I think the main things you know, I’ve got to say in all honesty it was helpful for me to read their drafts both for what I kept and what I didn’t keep. I was able to sort of they gave me the luxury to be able to pick and choose what I personally responded to. What I didn’t keep, for example, was more screen time with the younger daughter rather than with the older daughter. For example, I was much more interested in the relationship with the older daughter. Two items in particular which I did keep, neither of them, sadly, made it in the final film, the girl singing “that shit is bananas.” Anyway, in one scene, you have to read the script, it’s not interesting to talk about.

And at the very end something also maintained, carried over from the novel, which was kind of a joke at the end of the what became in the film we hope a poignant spreading of the ashes, there was a joke which punctuated that. We shot that, that didn’t make it into the final film. But the [unintelligible], it’s just a matter of taste what one picks and chooses from a novel.

Credit: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. I recently saw you were at the Spirit Awards. And you talked a lot about taking original work and making it your own, so I was just curious about what you took from the book and how you put your own original spin on it.

A. (Jim Rash) Well, I think, you know, after our first draft, actually I’m meeting with Alexander and our producer, Jim Burke, and getting some notes, that was sort of a thing that Alexander said to us to put the book aside for a second and get ourselves into understanding this character better. So I think it was more to sort of be able to put that away for a second and expand on it and let the scenes and the emotions there carry us through it, you know, and brighten that story.

Credit: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. Mr. Payne, like the novelist William Kennedy’s ties to Albany, you have very profound and deep ties to Nebraska. And now that this Hawaiian story is over, what is the next part of your Nebraska identity, Nebraska roots, cultural ties and moves, and where does Nebraska fit into your future, sir?

A. (Alexander Payne) It’s been ten years thanks for the question. It’s been ten years since I’ve shot there and I haven’t shot there since ’01 since ‘About Schmidt’ and I’m anxious to go back. If I can cast it right, the next screenplay I’m involved in directing is a father son road trip from Billings, Montana to Lincoln that gets waylaid in a small town in central Nebraska. I’m from Omaha, so in a way my trying to interpret small town Nebraska is as exotic an endeavor as going to Hawaii. But I’m anxious to do so. I’m having trouble casting it, quite frankly, but I hope it works out.

Credit: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. Why?

A. (Alexander Payne) Because the characters I didn’t write the script, by the way, I rewrote it, but I didn’t originate it. They’re very specific. I’m having trouble finding specifically people to fill those roles.

For Best Original Screenplay, Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ ran off with the glory. The quirky romantic comedy about the protagonist Gil, who is swept away in the magic of the Parisian night as he is caught up in a professional, and personal crisis, is cited as one of Allen’s best films in recent years.

The 76-year-old was not present to claim his awards, having consistently avoided the Academy Awards and his recognition within it throughout his career. The Academy accepted the statue on his behalf.

Image Courtesy of  Fox Searchlight (Top Image)

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The 2012 Oscars was a spectacular night, reminiscent of more succesful Oscar eras past as well as making history for foreign artists. Jean Dujardin became the first French actor to win Best Leading Actor, ‘Saving Face’ marked the first win by a Pakistani director, and the breathtaking drama ‘A Separation’ ran off with the award for Best Foreign Language film, gaining the extinguished pleasure of being the first Iranian movie to do so.

Director Asghar Farhadi is known for his admirable ability to convey the details of modern Iranian society and made an unfaltering portrayal of a family, struggling to come to terms with their disagreements, their responsibilities and the constraints of their culture.

Credit: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S

It was a politically tinted acceptance speech that followed the win; director Farhadi noted the immense joy that his achievement would bring his nation. “They are happy not just because of an important award or a film or a filmmaker, but because at the time when talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics.”

He continued, “I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, the people who respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment.”

Backstage, the Oscar press corps caught up with the director and asked him in depth about the obvious geo-political facets of his win.

Q. Congratulations. You’re the first winner from Iran. Obviously the Iranians are so happy for you right now; they’re excited all around the board. What is your message to the people and how this award can impact their lives, especially in such a difficult time?

A. I’m very happy about this award and I believe that Iranian people are also very happy, and this is what really matters to me. I don’t think this would have any specific message to the Iranian people other than the fact that cultural activities are the most important factors that we need to stick to in the world. I will be very happy to know that the image that the world gets from our country, Iran, is a very clear image, that it’s not a vague image. If people around the world try to find the image of one another through the prism of culture, I believe that image would be a more real and a more clear image.

Credit: 84th Annual Academy Awards®

Q. Many congratulations to you. What is it about A Separation which has made it connect with so many people around the world?

A. It is difficult for me to point my finger to a specific thing, but I think what matters is that even though this film was a local film, it could still relate to all people around the world because it is about human relations. What happens in this film is not specific to a region or a geography and perhaps this is the reason why this film is understandable by people throughout the world like Australia, America, Middle East.

Q. Hi, I’m from Israel. And I wanted to know particularly does Iran follow the Oscars at all, and does it mean anything that Iran was nominated with Israel?

A. People in Iran follow the Oscars a lot more than you think they do, and I know for a fact that right now as the event is happening, it’s in the middle of the night in the middle of the morning and people are not sleeping, and I know that they’re following. And perhaps the reason why they follow it this year so closely is because by every means it is a cultural event for them and they would like to hear the name of their country through culture.

Credit: Darren Decker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. I’m from Polish television. Congratulations. You won over ‘In Darkness’. I wonder whether you saw Agnieszka Holland’s movie and if you could please comment on it.

A. Yes, I have seen the film and more than the film I am very much honored by the director herself, and I love her work and believe in her not just for her work but for her humanity, and I saw her a few weeks ago and she told me that even though her film was nominated in the same category, she voted for my film, and to me this was the ultimate greatness of a human being. I believe that your country should be very proud of such a great director who is a great filmmaker and a great human being.

Q. Can you give us an update on how Iranian government has officially reacted to the claim that your movie has won and how you think they’ll react to this Oscar?

A. I really don’t know and I can’t predict what’s going to happen so I’m just going to wait and see how they respond. The Iranian government is not unanimous at all. When this film was nominated some were very happy, some were excited, and some were not as happy, so it’s not like you have the same level of people in the system. To me what matters is that the people of Iran are happy.

Q. Congratulations. The issue of tension, especially nuclear tension between Iran and the United States is very strong right now and frankly a lot of people in this country don’t know what to think of Iran, so what kind of message does your film want to send as you try to communicate between people and not government?

A. What you refer to is what’s happening between the governments, and I don’t have any message for the governments because I believe that this film is communicating with the people and I don’t think that government people are really into cinema.

Image Courtesy of  Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S. (Top Image)

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At last, one of the most respected contemporary actresses in Hollywood won the golden statue last night in what turned out to be one of the best Academy Award shows of the new millennium. Surprise was written all over the 62-year-old actress’ face as her name was announced by last year’s Leading Man, Colin Firth.

credit: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Meryl Streep was awestruck but composed as she approached the stage and gracefully accepted the statue. In her speech, she reminisced about her long career which includes 17 Oscar nominations to date — making her the most nominated actor in the Award’s history. Her last win was almost 20 years ago so this year was a welcome release of appreciation for the revered actress.

Backstage, the eager Oscar press corps were ready to quiz the newly-made third-time winner.

Q. I wanted to ask you about what you said on stage because you said that it would probably be your last time there winning an Oscar?

A. Yes, I’m pushing the tolerance.

Q. Maybe you don’t want to give Katharine Hepburn a run for her money?

A. Did she have more?

Q. Four.

A. Oh, well, okay.

Q. No, but really, how did you feel winning this third award, and why did you think

A. Oh, I was thrilled. I thought I was so old and jaded, but they call your name, and you just go into sort of a, I don’t know, a white light. And it was just thrilling. It was like I was a kid again. I mean, it was I was a kid when I won this, like, 30 years ago. Two of the nominees were not even conceived. So, you know, it was great. And it was doubly wonderful because my long time collaborative colleague, Roy Helland, makeup man, hairdresser, he won too, and he won for not an outside he won with his colleague Mark Coulier, who is a great British prosthetics designer, but he won not for some, you know, monster making, but for making a human being, and it’s very unusual in that branch that they give it to somebody who’s just trying to transform people. And so I was really, really proud for him.

Q. In researching your role, did you have a chance to meet Margaret Thatcher?

A. No, I haven’t. Really, she has retired from public life almost entirely now in the last two years. So, no, I didn’t. But I studied her, and I studied, you know, there’s so much archival footage. And then the challenge was to imagine her present life, and that was completely an active imagination on Abi Morgan, the writer’s part, and my part, but there was a lot of freedom in that, but also responsibility to a real person and to history. So, it was it was really very, very satisfying as an actor, as an artist, to make a film that starts out about

Q. We love you there, and I’ve been following your career, too, but I am learning that you have very good relationship with a lot of staff member as well as your family. What is the trick of sustaining such a deep, good relationship in such a busy life?

A. You can ask every working woman that question and get a million different answers because it’s it’s the juggle and the challenge that we have, but honestly, in my life, because it’s in the arts, I don’t go to work every day. So my day has been more flexible than other working women. Even when I was young and broke, I could I was only working ever for four months at a time, and I was unemployed. So my children never knew when I was going to be home. It was very valuable. But, you know, I think it’s a struggle. And it’s an ongoing struggle. Women have to do it all, you know. And so, the more flexible work becomes, the more engaged the dads become, the better.

Q. And my question is, you won for ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ for the very first time, and then ‘Sophie’s Choice’, and now for ‘Iron lady’. Which one of those was this is impossible question to answer, I guess, but talk about, you know, those different experiences in getting up there and accepting, you know, three times now, what was that you know, what was it like the first time around and the second time around and is this better in some way?

A. I read a poem yesterday, and it had nothing to do with this but it said, one of the lines jumped out and it said, “It is strange to be here once as it is to return.” So, that’s true. It is strange, the whole thing is strange. I mean, if you’re a human being, it’s weird. If you are not, I don’t know. Probably fun.

Q. You had mentioned that it has been a long time since the last time you won. Were you worried that it never was going to happen again?

A. No. I have I mean, I have everything I’ve ever dreamed of in my life. And no. I mean, I think there’s room for other people. Frankly, I understand Streep fatigue. And it shocks me, it shocked me that it didn’t override this tonight. So, I was really, really happy but I don’t take anything for granted, that’s for sure.

Credit: Matt Brown / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. Congratulations. In your very moving speech this evening, you mentioned jokingly we might all be sick of you in the future. I hope that doesn’t happen, but it seems like you have the beginning of a second project in life with The Women’s Museum. Would you talk a little bit about that?

A. Thank you for asking about that. There is no national women’s history museum, but there is a lot of history that is not written about the contributions of women in our country and around the world. And I think it would be really, really inspiring for people all around the world to have this fantastic center where you can learn the stuff that hasn’t been written about women, because for many, many centuries, history was not interested in us. And yet, and our history is invisible and I think it would be great for boys and girls to go to a place where they could learn about the contributions of their foremothers as well as their forefathers.

Q. Expounding on that idea, with young girls today, young women watching the Oscars, what advice would you give to them if they are thinking about going into filmmaking or acting?

A. Or anything.

Q. Or anything?

A. Or anything. Never give up. Don’t up, don’t give up. I mean, many girls around the world live in circumstances that are unimaginably difficult. And it’s not, you know, show business is a golf game compared to the way most kids grow up in the world. But I would say never give up. On March 8, 9, and 10, Tina Brown is hosting something called Women in the World in New York, a 3 day symposium bringing activists around the world on behalf of issues concerning women and girls, and it’s a great, great thing. Hope you will write about it and go see it. And thank you very much.

Q. Have you paid tribute to the great work of Roy and Mark on your makeup? Can you describe that moment when you first looked in the mirror and saw the face of Margaret Thatcher looking back at you?

A. Well, by the time we had achieved the right amount of less, and less, and less, I had become acclimated to not looking at Margaret Thatcher in the mirror and thought it was me, and that was important to me that I wasn’t looking at rubber, that I was looking at me. You know, I sort, of at that point in the process of creating a character, I’d already sort of morphed in a way, in my head, and in my heart, with her, and her concerns and her interests, her zeal, her mission, her sense of rightness, and all of that. But honestly, when we first had the old age makeup on, I saw my dad. You know. I looked so much like my dad. Maybe my dad looked like Margaret Thatcher, I don’t know. So, is that the end?

Q. That is the end.

A. Okay. Thank you very much.

Image Courtesy of  Bryan Crowe / ©A.M.P.A.S. (Top Image)

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It was a tearful Octavia Spencer who made her way to the stage after Christian Bale pronounced her the winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She was helped up the stairs in her tight dress and delivered a heartfelt and sincere speech, marked by her surprise for the win. As the emotions started rolling over her, she hugged the oscar tightly to her chest and tried her best to make sense of her gratefulness. Spencer’s fellow cast members were visibly thrilled about the win and fellow nominee Viola Davis has teary eyes of her own.

credit: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Octavia Spencer won for her portrayal of the defiant help Minny Jackson who strikes up an unusual friendship with Jessica Chastain’s Celia Foote, as both of them are deemed outcast in the local community by the cold and calculated Hilly Holbrook.

The Oscar press corps grabbed the stunned Spencer after her win.

Q. Are you disappointed that perhaps the film didn’t include that more tragic ending for your character, although it had some low points, it had some, you know, a little bit of a light hearted feel at the end?

A. Well, I think that’s all in your perception. No, I’m not disappointed that that scene was deleted. I think that we wanted to make the movie that Kathryn Stockett had envisioned when she wrote the book. I don’t think there’s anything light hearted about the Civil Rights movement, but somehow it makes it palatable when you see that type of strife. So if you can have a laugh every other ten minutes while you watch the struggle then, you know, I have no problem with it. But no, I’m not disappointed with any aspect of the film.

Q. What will you do? The plans after this movies?

A. Well, tonight I am going to find my cast mates and we’re going to, you know I’m actually going to have a quarter of a glass of champagne and hang out and and I think we all start projects, you know, within the next couple of days. But I’m just going to live in this moment because it’s never happened and lord knows it may never happen again.

Q. There’s something that stuck out to me in your acceptance speech and you thanked your ‘Help’ cast for how they helped you to transform into your character.
A. I said that? I don’t even remember what I said. I’m sorry.

Q. Can you explain how did they help you to do that or you know what your cast really meant to you when you said your family really meant to you?

A. Well, it’s very rare that you have the type of ensemble that we had. You know, you don’t get all the Academy Award nominee winners and Cecily Tyson, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Viola Davis coming together to do a project. And then you have the collaboration of Academy Award nominees behind the scenes. We just left our egos at the door and worked together as one beautiful unit from Emma, Viola, Bryce, Allison Janney. I mean, it was an award winning cast. So to be a part of that and to just sort of dissolve into the world that we were representing is something that we’re supposed to do as actors but it was rare that we did it without judgment with each other.

Q. You originally spoke about overcoming fear in playing your role in The Help. What would you say to a young man or woman about to start in the Army and overcoming their fears?

A. Well, I haven’t really overcome mine. I’m scared to death right now. You know, I don’t take what men and women in uniform do lightly. You guys provide us with the freedoms and the protection that we as citizens sometimes take for granted, so I don’t know that I’m the person that can say because I I’ve not served in that capacity. What I will say is I think I guess I’m reminded of Emerson: Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. That’s what you guys do for us every day.

Q. Would you sum up this award season for us and tell us about the love affair you had with The Help?

A. Well, the word I want to use I can’t, it’s a word in the well, I want to say fan effing tastic. But we’ll just leave the effing out. Fantastic. It is it is humbling. It is the love affair I’ve had with The Help, I am I’m a benefactor of all of the riches that the real life Minnys, Aibileens, Constantines, Skeeters, Celias, that they basically repeated. And so I am I’m very humble because I get to stand here and accept this award and I haven’t really done anything. So I don’t know. That’s a tough question to answer. Sorry.

Q. My question to you is, is that when you were walking up those stairs and by the time you got up there, a heartfelt standing ovation was given to you and you went into strictly emotions. What were you feeling at that moment and what would you say to any young girl who would aspire to be in your shoes tonight?

A. Well, get a great designer because you don’t know if you’re going to be on TV or not. And really and truly I was just trying not to fall down because I had an incident where I fell at an awards show. This is one of those evenings in my life that I’ll never forget. I hope it’s the hallmark of more for young aspiring actresses of color, and by color I don’t mean just African American. I mean Indian, Native American, Latin American, Asian American. I hope that in some way that I can be some sort of beacon of hope, especially because I am not the typical Hollywood beauty. You guys are supposed to go, oh, no, you are.

[Laughter]

There’s crickets, guys, work with me here. Work with me.

No, I don’t know. I just think that you have to believe in yourself and you have to work very hard. You can’t ever think that you’re the best thing since sliced bread because I promise you, there are going to be Viola Davises and Jessica Chastains and Emma Stones who are the best thing since sliced bread. So take it seriously, but don’t take it too seriously.

Q. The outpouring of emotion tonight for you and for your movie has been overwhelming, especially considering that you’re a relative newcomer.

A. Well, it depends on who you ask. Fifteen years, I’m a newcomer. Okay, I’ll take it.

Q. Congratulations. This is going to open so many doors for you. In your wildest dreams what is the one role that you want to play?

A. I don’t have one role that I want to play. I guess you know what, I want to be a producer. I want to be an activist. I want to be proactive in bringing about work for men, women, boys, girls, everybody who is good at what they do and deserve a shot at it. So I think my role, I want to have a presence both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. So I can’t say on one particular thing, so I’ll just name them all. I’ll be the jack of all trades and hopefully decent at one of them.

Thank you. Thank you, guys.

Credit: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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Last night was the dream night for the beautiful and unconventional film ‘The Artist’. The 2012 Academy Awards was truly a night for artists as solid craftsmanship was celebrated and history was made. One of the delightful results was the well deserved win by the French actor Jean Dujardin for his portrayal of the fading silent movie star George Valentin — an amazing performance that won the Academy’s hearts and votes. It also makes him the first French actor to ever receive the honor.

Credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Dujardin was tearful as Natalie Portman, last year’s winner in the Leading Actress category, as is tradition, introduced the performances all of the nominees. She noted the exquisite achievement of the French actor and he was visibly moved by the kind words. As his name was announced, the charming smile that moviegoers fell in love with in The Artist spread across his face as he approached the scene to accept the statue

Thank you. Oui! I love your country. Thank you to the Academy. It’s funny because in 1929 it wasn’t Billy Crystal, but Douglas Fairbanks who hosted the first Oscar ceremony. Tickets cost five dollars and it lasted 15 minutes. Times have changed. So thank you Douglas Fairbanks. Yes Melissa, your grandfather’s spirit and joie de vivre inspired me for this role. And so many of you here tonight have inspired me. Thank you Michel, thank you for this incredible gift. Thank you my wonderful partner Bérénice Bejo. Thank you the wonderful cast and crew. My wife, I love you. Kisses Simon, Jules, Chloe. And if George Valentin could speak, he’d say [French]. Merci beaucoup. I love you.

In his excitement, the 39-year-old actor, the youngest of the nominated, was almost unable to contain his joy and looked as if trying to return to the microphone to speak. Backstage, he got the chance.

Q. Sir, with your great success in this silent movie, are you concerned with the effort to make a transition into talkies?

A. (Jean Dujardin) In America? I’m not American actor. I’m a French actor, and I continue in France and but it’s possible. It’s

A. (Interpreter) If he can make another silent movie in America, he’d like to. He knows he’ll always be a French actor in America so he should find roles that, you know, those kinds of roles.

A. (Jean Dujardin) Thank you.

A. (Interpreter) But he has a few ideas that he wants to develop.

Q. At the end of your acceptance speech, did you perhaps drop the French equivalent of the F word?

A. I said it’s amazing. It’s incredible. It’s unbelievable. Thank you. Ah, yes. I’m sorry.

Q. And I’m wondering where your four legged friend is, Uggie, and how you’re going to celebrate with him?

A. (Jean Dujardin) Uggie? Tonight, Uggie is home in Miami, I think. So but, yes.

A. (Interpreter) He went to bed already.

Q. Hello, Jean. I would like to know what was the process of creating this character and was it any different from the way you created other talking characters?

A. It was not really intellectual, and I’m not an intellectual. No, I watch I watched a lot of movies. Douglas Fairbanks movies, Gene Kelly movies. I had fun pretending to be a movie star in 1920s.

Q. Congratulations.

A. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Credit: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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The impressive French-American silent movie ‘The Artist’ by director Michel Hazanavicius, will be remembered not just for its unusual way of interpreting the beauty and wistful grace of the end of one of Hollywood’s most precious eras, the silent films, but also for its achievement at this years Oscars.

The French star Jean Dujardin was ecstatic as he accepted the Oscar for Best Leading Actor, making him the first French actor to receive the honor. Michel Hazanavicius can celebrate his own success in winning the price for Best Director and the overall film, which despite its critical acclaim has done meagerly at the box office, will receive a deserved boost by the prestigious Best Picture award.

Of other notable wins were Best Original Score which underlines the tremendous work and power that The Artist held in conveying the drama, comedy and intensity of its story without spoken lines. Ludovic Bource was interviewed by the Oscar Press corps and its translators shortly after winning the golden statue for his work.

A. It’s unbelievable for me.

Q. [Speaks in French]

A. So he said he’s he’s incredibly impressed to be here and the first prize he ever got for The Artist was at the EFA awards, the European Film Awards, and the statue is a woman and so his little boy said, Papa, you need to bring me the man, the Oscar, so that they can kiss each other.

Q. [Speaks in French] It was very moving tonight, your speech, because you said at one point, Well, actually I would like that people accept me here in Hollywood. Why, because I have so much love to give. Can you please explain to us, because I know that actually to make it here in Hollywood you have to love and even be in love.

A. All of the work I did on The Artist was a declaration of love to American culture, American cinema.

Q. [Unintelligible] is a tribute to the American composer. [Unintelligible] the next step for you is in Hollywood.

A. If Hollywood accepts me, it’s my dream to be here. So yes, I would love to give you my love and be part of Hollywood now.

Q. Hi. This is a silent film, and I just wondered for you, the music plays so much a part of this. Do you feel like this was a character in the film?

A. Yes. Music is it’s a character in the movie and it’s a unique language and I’m so honored to have been able to have made this movie thanks to Michel Hazanavicius.

Image Courtesy of  Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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The enigmatic Christopher Plummer gracefully accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal as a closeted gay man who takes the leap and owns up to his identity when diagnosed with terminal cancer. The announcement, however, comes as a shock to his grown son, played by Ewan McGregor.

The 82-year-old actor was immortalized after appearing in the Oscar-winning ‘The Sound of Music’, which made cinematic history in 1965. Since then, Plummer has enjoyed a diverse career, including ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ (1975), ‘The Silent Partner’ (1978), ‘Malcolm X’ (1992), ‘The Insider’ (1999), ‘Syriana’ (2005) and ‘The Last Station’ (2009).

The Oscar press corps were ready to ask the elated winner about his win.

Q. The obvious question: How does it feel to be the oldest Oscar winner ever?

A. I don’t believe that for a second. I think that Charlie Chaplin, even though it was an honorary Oscar wasn’t he 83? I mean, an honorary Oscar after all is an Oscar, we hope.  I’m not sure, but it feels pretty good anyway.

Q. I’m getting married soon, so I would love to talk about your wife. You’re so romantic when you thanked her for rescuing you. What does that mean and tell me about your wife?

A. What do you think it means? I thought it was abundantly clear. Of course, I’m a naughty boy. I’ve been bad all my life, and she always puts me in line. I think it’s great what she’s done. It’s extraordinary. But it doesn’t strike you when you hear the phrase, “She rescues me every day of my life”? What could be clearer?

Q. Good evening. Congratulations, and I’m curious how you look back at awards of any kind, specifically, the two nominations and now the first Oscar win. In terms of a measure of a career, because it’s, obviously, not the reason you do things, but what kind of dessert topping does it put on a distinguished career?

A. That’s absolutely a wonderful phrase. It is a le creme on top, and it’s lovely to be sort of accepted, because you know that beyond the pleasure of working in front of a live audience, particularly, it’s a general acceptance of your work. So it’s thrilling, and I don’t pretend not to poo poo awards, although there’s so many of them, I can’t keep up. I mean, they’re inventing a new one every day.

Q. Mr. Plummer, congratulations. Congratulations, on your role, it was very charming and lovely. And the Academy has a long history of awarding straight actors for gay roles. Do you think there’s a double standard for the public supporting gay actors in real life as opposed to on film?

A. Well, I think of actors as being universally the same, gay or straight. We’re all actors, and a gay actor can play a straight guy beautifully and vice versa. It’s wonderful, because it cancels out all of the sexual differences and all the sort of preconceived misunderstandings of a sexual existence.

Q. Hello, Mr. Plummer, congratulations. I just wanted to ask you, for you, is this a beginning for you tonight and what do you think it’s the beginning of?

A. Well, it is sort of a renewal, it’s not a beginning exactly, but it has recharged me and I hope I can do it for another ten years at least. I’m going to drop dead wherever I am, on stage or on the set. We don’t retire in our profession, thank God.

Q. You always do a good job. In your long and illustrious career, who stands out as your favorite actor besides yourself? Who did you look up to?

A. No, not myself. Tons of actors for different reasons. In the French cinema we had when I grew up, I saw a lot of French film, because I lived in Quebec from France, great actors and Pierre Brasseur, Lewis Gilbert, and people who are just extraordinary stage actors, particularly although they did do film. And the great classical actors that inspired me when I was quite young [inaudible], and then later the whole new school of Marlon Brando. I lived through all of those various changes, and they all had their made their mark upon me, thanks.

Q. I’m so excited. I see you’re wearing your Order of Canada pin. I wanted to know why you decided to wear that tonight?

A. I do because I sort of feel that I’m in a way representing my country here tonight, just as Max was representing Sweden. And I feel that my country gave me the highest this is the highest civil honor that a Canadian can get and I’m very proud of it and I think an evening like this deserves to have all the medals and awards showing, so that’s why I did it.

Q. You were born in 1929?

A. Yes.

Q. The same year as the Oscar?

A. Yes.

Q. And you won the award for being an old man, at the age of 70. So I wondered if it mattered to have a naked man in your own hands. Are you brave enough to say that you love him?

A. The question is I’m sorry do I love the Oscar?

Q. Yeah.

A. Well, if the Oscar is gay, yes, of course.

Q. Just another Canadian question.

A. Oh, God.

Q. Can you bring back anything during the war, growing up during the war that gave you so much strength? Canada is so much a part of your life and it was such a strength, you know, [inaudible].

A. Yeah, it was great to grow up in Quebec, particularly, because Quebec never closed.  Montreal stayed open 24 hours a day, even jaded New Yorkers would come up and enjoy the night life in Montreal. I’m glad I grew up in a really racy town, and it was marvelous and the cabaret was so important. Piaf, Chevalier, we had a young Julie Garland, Frank Sinatra, and you can see these people for nothing, just sitting at a bar and having a beer.  It was a glorious time in Montreal and I was lucky enough to be there. The courage that you talk about was from my mother who was in the first Great War as a nurse, and anything that she lived through a pretty horrific time. I don’t know if that’s funny to some of you. Oh, there’s two things going on here, all right. Does that answer your question a little bit?

Image Courtesy of  Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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The film ‘Hugo’ has proven technically strong at this year’s Academy Award ceremony, winning over other technically visionary films without problems. Tom Fleischman and John Midgley won for their work in Sound Mixing and afterwards, the Oscar press corps had a chat with the two happy first-time winners.

Tom Fleischman: Wow, this is an incredible honor. Thanks to the Academy; thanks to Graham King and Tim Headington for producing “Hugo”; many thanks to my fellow nominees who inspire me and you do inspire me for years; Marty and Thelma, what a joy and privilege it’s been to work with you; and my wife Priscilla for her unending love and support. Everyone back in New York at Soundtrack and C5. Thank you to Dede Allen and Dick Vorisek, you couldn’t be here tonight but I know you are both smiling.

John Midgley: This is such an honor, thank you so much. Thank you to my crew, Mike and Charlotte, and thank you so much to Martin Scorsese. Thank you.

Q. It’s your first win. Just tell us how you’re feeling right now and what it means to you.

A. (Eugine Gearty) We’re feeling pretty darn good, I’d say.  It means a lot to us to be here. Pretty great.

A. (Philip Stockton) Absolute honor.

Q. So, Hugo just won for visual effects as well?

A. (Eugine Gearty) Yes.

Q. So, do you think this reflects, perhaps, the Academy’s embracing of the whole ethos of silent cinema and everything that Hugo kind of represented?

A. (Philip Stockton) In a word, yes. I mean, obviously, a lot of technical skills went into this. I’m actually a little disappointed that there weren’t any actor and actress nominations for this. Obviously it was a technical masterpiece to pull off. Obviously, the tech award to have that recognized makes a lot of sense.

Q. Hi guys, I’m wondering if while you’re making the movie, are you able to look at each other at some point and say, you know, this is really good, I mean, we might win an Oscar for this. Is that something that goes through your mind?

A. (Eugine Gearty) Yes, that definitely has gone through our mind.  When you work for Martin Scorsese, there’s always a chance you’re going to be nominated for an Oscar. So, yes [inaudible].

A. (Philip Stockton) I think we would have been nominated for ‘Shutter Island’ if it came out in the right year.

Q. Scorsese films have a distinct sound to them, especially with soundtracks, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, especially ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Casino’. Given that legacy, what was the challenge here and did you fight that trend or what how did it work as a sound editor knowing how rich his music is in his prior films?

A. (Eugine Gearty) We actually worked on all of those films, so we I guess we just had to sort of

A. (Philip Stockton) Yeah, it’s actually a really good question. It’s incredibly difficult to work with the situation where Marty is very the most important thing is dialogue, the narration and then the soundtrack, as is music. And rightfully so. When you the films you mentioned have great soundtracks, rock and roll and everything. What was great on this was Howard Shore’s score was such a masterpiece and we were very fortunate to be able to work early on together and it intertwined. Forgive me, but I think there were only two source cues on this film as opposed to the films you mentioned that have a lot more source cues.

After winning the Oscar for Best Cinematography, Robert Richardson also spoke to the waiting Oscar press corps.

Q. You did make a comment on stage about the cinematography award being first. Were you serious? Is that something that’s bothering you or do you have strong feelings about that?

A. No. It’s a fear factor. Yeah, of course. Cinematography. We are behind the lens. We are not in front of the lens. So, it made it a little complex for me to walk up there.

Q. So, what was it like for you DP’ing on Scorsese film that’s every bit as much rendering green screen as it is actually staged?

A. Oh, I don’t know if you are absolutely accurate on that part. There was not as much green screen as there was on the production side. Once you get Dante here, I think that’s conversation you should have with him. He might not take well to that one. It was a great deal of practical. The sets were phenomenal. So, I am not appropriate for that one.

Q. All right. I’m wondering if you can talk about working in 3D. This is not the first 3D film to win, but it’s unusual to get recognized with 3D.

A. You’re right. I think the odds of winning are extraordinarily small. I was the crystal ball didn’t work this way. I know it worked that way for Mark Wahlberg, but for me, I didn’t see it. I don’t know [unintelligible] a Mark Wahlberg piece, but his predictions are near two for three. Uhm, yeah, I know it’s very difficult to choose 3D, and I’m surprised by it as well.  And I think it’s not just 3D. It’s a digital aspect versus a film aspect.

Q. Where do we go now, dramatically, with 3D now that you’ve paved the way?

A. That’s a huge question, but I don’t think there’s any limits for it. 3D is a very solid step.  I believe it’s 15, 20 percent, give an arbitrary percentage. The advantage is a tool towards what filmmakers can use, if used, as just that, as a tool, not as a gimmick. There’s an end. I do believe it will alter that, but, technically, I don’t believe we can go into that here, ’cause I could go on for an hour [inaudible].

Q. This is the last year of Kodak sponsoring the venue for the Oscars. Can you talk about shooting digital versus shooting film?

A. Last night, I was at the Kodak dinner at The Bistro. And, of course, it’s a bit painful. I’m shooting currently on film. Uhm, I’m with Quentin Tarantino for ‘Django Unchained’. I don’t think it’s an issue of film versus digital. I’m hoping that film can survive for as long as possible. I hope Kodak sticks here, but it’s not over yet, virtually, every film, is digitized in one way or another, so we have to think about that. The digital media sweep.

Q. I’m curious with such a prominent group of cinematographers that you were nominated with, how does it feel for you now that you were the one that was called and won the Oscar?

A. I’m elated. I didn’t see this as happening. I have to say, personally, I love the work of Chivo in ‘The Tree of Life’. I, also, think he’s well overdue, but that said, I am extraordinarily happy. I do love that man, so, I would like to see that not too far in the future. Thank you all very much.

Image Courtesy of  Rick Salyer / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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Mark Bridges took home the award for Best Costume Design at the 84th Academy Awards. ‘The Artist’ is one of this year’s most highly acclaimed films, and the black and white silent movie have surprised movie goers and critics alike with its charm and passion. Bridges thankfully accepted the award and afterwards spoke with the Oscar press corps about the wonderful honor:

Wow, this is thrilling. I want to thank Michel Hazanavicius for making a beautiful film and having me along for the ride, Thomas Langmann for believing in the film and getting the resources together to make it, and Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company for getting it out to the world. I want to thank my wonderful crew and you know, I was just a kid from Niagara Falls who dreamed, ate, and slept movies and so I want to thank the Academy for this honor and for making a lifelong dream come true. Thank you.

Q. Congratulations. What classic Hollywood films in terms of the visual style of the wardrobe, et cetera, specifically what films inspired what you created for The Artist?

A. There’s a great film called ‘Show People’ starring Marion Davies, which was all shot on the back lot of MGM at the end of the ’20s. Great research. We also watched things like ‘It’, ‘Our Dancing Daughters’, ‘City Girl’, ‘Sunrise’, those were sort of emotional touch spots for touchstones for us. So things like that. Not not a lot, but enough to get the flavor and know how things were worn.

Q. Yes, hello. Can you speak to the difficulties of having costumes that were going to be shot in black and white versus color?

A. Well, we actually filmed it in color because there was a chance that the film would at some markets be shown in color.  Luckily, we were able to finally prevail with it in black and white.  You know, it really comes down to different values and I was very concerned about the graphics, whether the actors would separate from the backgrounds that they’re standing in front of. So and once we got the textures down, we knew textures read beautifully, I could tell a story with textures.

Q. We spoke the other night at the Costume Designers Guild. Congratulations. I’m curious, how do you feel tonight after winning the Oscar?

A. I’m very excited as you can imagine. It hasn’t quite sunk in because we’ve just been led from one thing to another, but I’m thrilled; I’m very proud, I’m so happy.  And as I said in my speech, it really is a lifelong dream come true. I spent a great deal of my childhood where the winters are long and movies are a great escape and it has affected me for my whole life and career choice. And I think it’s amazing that I was given the opportunity to do a movie that is a love letter to Hollywood.

Q. You said that you made the costumes larger in the beginning. Was Jean larger in the beginning?

A. No. What I think what Michel said was, you know, once the character George has his fall, he wanted the costumes just a little bigger to reflect that somehow George is less of a man than he was. And so we did that, hopefully, subtly through the tailoring.

Q. Is Jean as great a guy as we think he is?

A. Yes, and then some. He’s an extraordinary person, yes.

Image Courtesy of  The Weinstein Company

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Martin Scorcese’s magical tale of the orphan Hugo who tries to make sense of his father’s death is currently sweeping the stakes at the 84th Academy Awards. Below are the speech of the winners so far.

Winner in Cinematography: Robert Richardson

I can’t believe somebody put cinematography up first because it can only go up from this point. I want to thank you all. Marty, you’re a genius as usual and Graham, sticking in there all the way. I’d love to thank Ian, Chris, Gregor, Kanchan, Maya, Beauty, you’re all my family. And to all the past, future and present filmmakers, this is for you.

Winner in Art Direction: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo

Dante Ferretti: Thank you to the Academy for this prestigious award. A great thank you goes to the producer Graham King and Tim Headington, to all my art department, but the most of all my very special thank you to a eccezionale director who guide us though this wonderful journey: Martin Scorsese. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Grazie, Martin.

Francesca Lo Schiavo: This is for Martin and for Italy.

Backstage, Ferretti and Schiavo answered a few questions to the Oscar news corps.

A. (Dante Ferretti) Today is my birthday and I think this is the most incredible gift I’ve ever been given.

A. (Francesca Lo Schiavo) Happy birthday, Dante.

Q. I was taken to task by Robert Richardson for the simple question that given your track record of working with Scorcese, what was different working in this film, obviously except for the fact there was such a larger component of green screen digitally involved compared to your past movie. How did that make it different?

A. I did eight movies so far with Martin and this is the first time that not only for me but for everybody who worked on this film, for Martin, for Bob Richardson, for everybody. And it was also when we started the movie the movie was supposed to be in normal 2D, but then they decided to do it in 3D. And then we started we did many research with it and we understood to do it in 3D, we have to take more attention for all the detail, for everything, for foreground, for more depth. So anyway, it’s like now, we are in 3D, you work in the middle of the 3D, you see people in front and behind and the end, on the back. So it’s good. I think the work is good enough to be exaggerated. It has to be what I think in HUGO, what Marty did and Marty and Bob Richardson. When you sit in theater, you are, like, inside the screen. This is what I feel, what I saw. This is it.

Q. When you were on stage you mentioned the fact that this was for Italy, and I was wondering for you, do you feel like this award is for your country?

A. (Francesca Lo Schiavo) Yeah.

Q. When did you decide that this profession was for you?  What made you decide?

A. (Francesca Lo Schiavo) Listen, I decide many, many, many years ago and of course I was in Italy, and I was so deeply interested about the decoration and I work in interior design studios, and then, I mean, at the same time I love so much movies. So when I understood that it was possible to do both, I mean, the decoration, movies, so that was the start for of my job, to make decisions about to do this job.

Q. Dante, Francesca, congratulations. This is your third nomination for your third Oscar. What has changed? The nominations are the same year after year, you keep winning everything, you keep doing incredible good work. What does it change in your work and also approach to your winning another Oscar?

A. (Dante Ferretti) Nothing changed, actually. Tomorrow morning I have to wake up very early, I have to go back to work and anyway, it’s good. For me it doesn’t change because this is something important for your work, but for me every time I start a new film it’s like my first one. So for this, when the people ask me when do you go on vacation, for me, I go on vacation when I start a new movie, and this feels very important for me.

Q. And you, Francesca?

A. (Francesca Lo Schiavo) For me, it doesn’t change anything because because just, I mean, I have more enthusiasm for to keep going, keep going.

Q. Congratulations.

Image Courtesy of  Paramount/Jaap Buitendijk

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Predictions for tonights Supporting category wins point to Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer. In the first part, we spoke about the difficulty of determining a supporting performance; screen time, age and experience play a tricky part. Here comes the age concerns.

There is well-documented ageism in the Academy; possibly explained through the idea that experience brings award-winning performances, but continuously disproved since acclaimed performers have gone the majority of their careers (if not all) without the Oscars. Gary Oldman, as an example, just broke his circle this year but notable names without nominations include Errol Flynn, Marylin Monroe and Donald Sutherland. However, the trend is more so in the Leading categories than in the Supporting ones, and interestingly enough, also more so for men than women.

To take an example, the youngest winner for Leading Actor was Adrian Brody, age 29, for ‘The Pianist‘. The youngest winner for Supporting Actor was Timothy Hutton, age 20, for ‘Ordinary People’. For actresses it was Marlee Matlin, age 21, winning Leading Actress for ‘Children of a Lesser God’ and Tatum O’Neal, age 10, winning Supporting Actress for ‘Paper Moon’. There is a significant discrepancy between the two categories, and sexes, to suggest that it’s easier to be recognized by the Academy as a young supporting performer than as a lead performer.

When looking strictly at nominations, the age range in the top 10 of youngest actors range from 9 years of age to 27 for the top listed in a leading performance, youngest nominee being Jackie Cooper. But for Supporting Actor, the range is noticeably smaller, with Justin Henry receiving a nomination at age 8 for ‘Kramer vs. Kramer‘ and the age of the top 10 only ranging between 8 and 10. That’s 18 years difference for youngest leading actor and just 2 years for the supporting actor. For the women, it’s nine years difference in the top 10 youngest lead actresses and 4 years for supporting actresses.

The ageism thus applies most to the Leading male category.

It may be a little contrived to break down Academy statistics to determine pattern, but it is obvious that an undefined but recurring set of rules apply for the supporting categories; almost anything goes in terms of screen time and age and in the eyes of a hardcore cynic, the supporting nominations are a motley mix of scene-stealing performances and foundlings which the Academy feel uncomfortable placing anywhere else.

Why was Zach Galifianakis not nominated then?

Maybe some divine truth completely alluded me, but even if I enjoyed myself tremendously watching Kristen Wiig give the bridal party acute diarrhea, I am having a really tough time swallowing that an obscene performance, including pooping in a sink, is Oscar worthy. I see the arguments for it; how refreshing it is to have the Academy come down from their high-brow chair and throw a bone to a fart joke. But does that make you respect the Academy more?

Over and over again, I was coaxed to not miss ‘Bridesmaids‘ because “it’s like The Hangover, but for chicks.” And it truly is; a tale of the battle that friends of the bride — or groom — have to go through. So why was Zach Galifianakis not nominated? Melissa McCarthy is in all her glorious being, basically playing his female counterpart; socially awkward tag-along from the weird side of the family. She mysteriously got the nod, but like Bérénice Bejo, she will not win.

Finally, the nomination of Jonah Hill. His performance in Moneyball was to me flat and bewildered. The whole movie eluded me for meaning and purpose and the nomination of Hill seems to be the annual ‘funny guys does a serious role; shocking! Oscar!’ -case.

The Academy left out an incredible performance by Albert Brooks over Hill? Every ‘The Sitter’ movie he will make for the rest of his life will be “starring oscar nominee Jonah Hill.” Academy, look what you’ve done.

The show is only minutes from starting and we will know the outcome by the end of the night. Winners have already been selected, but no matter what, I hope the people you have rooted for will win.

Image Courtesy of Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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Of the main categories on the nomination list for the Academy Awards, I find that the supporting role nods offer the most confusion; a lot of contention always arise as the supporting characters can vary greatly in age, screen time and seriousness.

This years nominations have left me with two sore points; Jonah Hill for ‘Moneyball’ and Melissa McCarthy for last years hilarious ‘Bridesmaids’. But I’ll get back to those.

First of all, let us talk about those who were left out. The greatest surprise was the horrendous omission of Albert Brooks. In the run-up to the nomination announcement, it was predicted to be a split battle between Christopher Plummer for ‘Beginners’ and Brooks for the acclaimed ‘Drive’. The award showers in the run-up had pointed to this situation, even to Brooks as the possible winner this year, so for him to not even get a shot at the target was shocking. Fans were baffled over the final decision but Reuters could report that the man in question took the bad news in good humor, tweeting shortly after the announcement: “I got ROBBED. I don’t mean the Oscars, I mean literally. My pants and shoes have been stolen,” and later put a candid twist on Sally Fields notorious 1985 acceptance speech: “And to the Academy: “You don’t like me. You really don’t like me.”

Brooks was not the only snub; Shailene Woodly, who plays George Clooney’s daughter in The Descendants, was mentioned as a prime candidate, as well as the scene-stealing Patton Oswalt for the bittersweet comedy ‘Young Adults’. That Young Adults was left out completely is a whole other crime in itself.

There are of course the nods who came about despite an averagely performing package. Some speak against Janet McTeer and her role in the drama ‘Albert Nobbs’, saying she got the nomination at the expense of Woodly. One IMDB.com user went as far as to say “To me, McTeer completely overacted her part. [...] Contorting the face to look “manly” is one of the most simplistic and poorest forms of acting I can envision.” But in for those in favor; McTeer was subtle and endearing in her portrayal that reflects a unique situation – no one could even imagine that a woman would dress up as a man in 19th century Ireland. Both her and Glenn Close (who is also nominated) are meant to be women, pretending to be men. Not actual men. McTeer was on all accounts a scene-stealer, like Oswalt, and her nomination is if possible, more deserved than Close’s.

Then we have Max von Sydow, who alongside the nominated cast members of ‘The Artist’ makes 2012 the year where a whopping three acting nominations were given without a single word spoken (that is a lie; Jean Dujardin has one line). Much controversy has been dragging behind the 9/11 drama ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’ for stealing away a nomination for Best Picture despite mixed reviews. But von Sydow is a keeper; in silence he conveyed the delicate highs and devastating lows of contemporary human emotion and though the movie has been labelled an overall misfire (the New York Post called it “emotional blackmail” and the Toronto Star singling it out as ‘calculated Oscar bait’), you can’t deny a performance like that. Not to mention that some actually liked the overall film, thanks to him.

Much ado about nothing?

When the Academy pronounces the nominations, it is given without pattern nor order. Sometimes it feels like the nominations for supporting roles are made in an equally disorderly manner. The field is incredibly obscure and you ask yourself; on what basis is it decided what constitutes a worthy supporting part?

The first contention is screen time. A look back at the Oscar records show that screen time is no hindrance when it comes to dazzling the Academy. The shortest-ever winning performance for an Actor in a supporting role was Anthony Quinn for ‘Lust for Life’ in 1955, only dominating the screen for a mere eight minutes. Shortest Supporting Actress performance was won by Beatrice Straight in 1976 for a meager 5 minutes and 40 seconds. Judi Dench is another example when she won in 1998 for her eight minutes work in ‘Shakespeare in Love’.

In comparison, the shortest Best Actor performance to win was David Niven’s 15 minutes and 38 seconds in ‘Seperate Tables’. Next to him is Anthony Hopkins for 16 minutes in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’.

Clearly, time is not the greatest obstacle. Supporting parts are simply tough to evaluate because they usually do the background work that lifts everything else. And it varies how talented or important that lift is. Scene-stealers are naturally favored, but the Academy has an equally recurring tendency of nominating a main character as a Supporting performance if they ‘don’t really know where to put them’, e.g. they are reluctant to recognize a performance in the more significant Leading category.

This year our first question is why Bérénice Bejo was nominated in the Supporting category by the Academy — but as a Leading actress at the BAFTA awards. What constitutes a lead performance over a supporting one? Can there only be one main character? This is not the first time that the Academy makes these types of calculated mistakes and it’s a shame because a lead character being categorized with supporting characters will either rob them of their due diligence or destroy their chance of winning because the voters will be distracted by the misplacement. Bejo will not win this year.

Read the continuation of this debate here.

Image Courtesy of  ©Douglas Kirkland 2012

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Tonight at the newly renamed Hollywood and Highland Center, the Academy Awards will be delivering Oscar magic all night under the auspice of returning host Billy Crystal. The silent triumph of ‘The Artist’ is leading the buzz at the moment but until the cameras turn on inside the dazzling auditorium, the bets are on.

This year marks the 84th time around that Hollywood’s finest gather to celebrate the last years cinematic triumphs, but there has rarely been so much debacle before the big night; after years of faithful audiences, the ABC network reports a drop in recent years from a steady 60 to 70 million viewers to a mere 40 millions. In comparison, the Super Bowl finals could draw more than 110 millions viewers.

Another issue was the departure of producer Brett Ratner who left along with this years initially announced host, Eddie Murphy – not to mention the sudden and unfortunate bankruptcy of Eastman Kodak which brought on a complicated naming and promotional issue and jeopardizes the Academy’s continuous use of the facility for the Oscar show.

The biggest problem, though, is the dwindling number of viewers. Why have movie lovers forsaken the prestigious ceremony?

Some believe the major issue is that the general audience never really watches the movies that end up being celebrated by the contemporary Academy. In the last decade, the selected nominees have increasingly been influenced by art, emotions and indie productions; only few box office hits seem to cut it when it comes to Best Picture or leading performances – James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ being a notable exception.

The movies at this years Oscars are haunted by slow performances at the box office – The Artist, despite formidable reviews, only managed to make 28 million dollars, in comparison with ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2’ which raked a whopping 1,3 billion dollars last year.

As the general public see less and less of the nominated movies, their interest and excitement in the competition at the Oscar slumps. There is no fun in watching the celebration of movies you never heard of.

To compensate for the low level of recognizable names on the nomination list, the Academy have attempted to boost the entertainment quality of the event itself, including younger hosts, more comedy and more glamour. Last year’s double hosting by the sweet Anne Hathaway and spaced out James Franco was one of the low points of these initiatives so the return of Billy Crystal in a welcomed treat for Oscar buffs. Tonight makes his ninth time as Oscar host and the 63 year-old holds a great record as a terrific entertainer.

Despite the Academy’s struggle to get things in place for the night of the golden statue, millions of people worldwide will tune in tonight for the exquisite pleasure of watching the finest of Hollywood, gather in a media production extravaganza, including an ambitious slated performance of Cirque du Soleil in a one-time-only event by a rumored more than 50 performers, their biggest troupe ever.

Billy, we’re ready for you!

Image Courtesy of  Bob D’Amico / ABC

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The time is drawing ever closer to the big night in Hollywood, where American cinema’s finest come together to celebrate the past year’s cinematic achievements. Of the big categories, the run for the glory is in the Actress in a Leading Role. This year, it reflects an excellent variety of characters and experience. Here are the predictions.

Glenn Close for ‘Albert Nobbs’

For some, the nomination of veteran Glenn Close was a shocker; many saw Tilda Swinton as the rather sure nominee in the run-up to the nomination call. However, others had already acknowledged that the 64-year-old actress’ turn as a woman in disguise in 19th century Ireland could not be overlooked, and despite the movie’s low performance at the box office and general lack of reaction within the industry, she managed to secure a seat in the race; even if it’s a no-win seat.

Viola Davis for ‘The Help’

Through her performance as Aibileen Clark in the movie adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s bestseller The Help, Davis, age 46, has already garnered a great amount of acclaim, and despite another nominee’s impressive record of 17 Academy Award nominations, including two wins, Davis has the opportunity to be the second African American actress to take home the honor of Best Actress – a temptation the Academy will have a hard time overlooking.

This is not to say that the award would not have been earned; Davis has proved her worth outstandingly by taking home the SAG Award and the Critics’ Choice of 2011, and though honoring Davis for portraying a black maid “sends all kinds of regressive messages,” according to Slantmagazine.com, we also agree that it is the type of performance where no doubt can be sown – considering that she is only one of nine other African Americans to ever be nominated in the Academy’s 84th stretch. The time is just right for Davis.

Rooney Mara for ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’

Tilda Swinton fans were (also) thoroughly sore when 26-year-old newcomer Rooney Mara received the Academy’s blessing over the seasoned Swinton. Considered the outsider, Mara delivered an enigmatic performance as the title character in the American version of the first book in the Swedish Millennium series. The anti-social, troubled, but intuitive Lisbeth Salander was a tough job to follow after the book’s fan base connected with Swedish Noomi Rapace’s depiction. But to many’s delight, Mara rose to the occasion, receiving universal appraisal.

Whether she will win the trophy this coming Sunday or not — chances are slim. As much as the nomination is deserved, she is up against giants, and should instead kick back on the evening and enjoy her promising future.

Meryl Streep for ‘The Iron Lady’

The only true challenger to Viola Davis is the Oscar regular Meryl Streep. Regarded as one of the most talented and respected actresses of her time, Streep has been nominated five times in the last ten years, including this year’s mesmerizing turn as the former Prime Minister of the UK. But she has also walked away empty handed since 1983 – that’s 14 times the loser!

Even though 62-year-old Streep is an impressive woman, she is up against serious competition in Davis and the two of them are looking at a 50/50 shot. Whether she managed to push her stellar performance past the movie’s mixed reviews, we will only know on award night.

Michelle Williams for ‘My Week With Marylin’

Who could have predicted that one of the cast members of teen drama Dawson’s Creek would wind up one of contemporary cinema’s most revered talents? At age 31 and with three Oscar nominations under her belt so far, Williams is one of the darlings of this year’s nomination list; ahead of Close and Mara in the polls, but behind Davies and Streep.

In her portrayal of the screen siren, Williams managed to capture the sexy yet lonely air of Monroe, at a time in her life when she was newly wed and at the height of her career, yet desperate for intimacy and suffering a love/hate relationship with her iconic status. Still, Williams would be a shocking win, and for once, it looks like the young must step aside for the older generation.

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The adaptation of John le Carré’s ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’, has impressed the critics around the world and is currently set to compete at the Academy Awards next Sunday, February 26. During pre-production, after Peter Morgan had written a draft, Tim Bevan of Working Title Films found that the screenwriter “wasn’t available to keep going with the script, so we went to the team of Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan to write the screenplay adaptation. They worked very closely with Tomas [Alfredson, the director] for almost a year.”

Le Carré offers, “When I read Bridget and Peter’s first draft, it was a piece of dramatic and intellectual architecture that I could admire. I knew I couldn’t do something like that. At that point, I joined their work. It was not the film of the book; it was the film of the film. I think they did it splendidly.

“The greatest compliment all of the filmmakers paid to the book, as far as I’m concerned, was to make their own film from it. I was there as a resource, that’s all; I knew the material very well, and I offered what mental agility I have.”

“Their first draft was so promising,” remembers producer Robyn Slovo. “It helped make the development process very quick, and we started casting the movie by the time there was a third draft.” Staying faithful to the period when it was written and published, the feature unfolds primarily in 1973 (progressing into 1974).

Bevan adds, “The team’s script represented the book, retained the complications of the book, and had integrity at its heart. As a producer, you’re always looking for a compelling story, compelling emotion, and compelling characters. Their script had those elements, and it is very much their script that was shot.”

The script was now in the hands of a director making his first English-language film. Alfredson muses, “I’m unpredictable with my career moves; something comes up and I’ll feel, ‘This is the right thing to do next.’ “This picture is certainly a big step for me. I’ve been doing films and television for almost 30 years, so it was a big change to work in a different language. But everyone was so helpful.”

Particularly so, he says, were the eyes and ears of the female half of the screenwriting team, Bridget O’Connor, who passed away just as filming began and to whom the finished film is dedicated. Alfredson reflects, “Since I wasn’t interested in doing it like the usual thriller, talking with Bridget about her interpretation and having her female eye on it was important. These men had to make use of their feminine sides and abilities. I needed that different perspective, and she helped me get it.”

In his research, Alfredson was fascinated to learn that “there was a lot of homosexuality in this world. At that time in Britain, it was not accepted, and there were spies and agents who could not be open about their sexuality because they could then be blackmailed. So Bridget and Peter were able to delve into this in the adaptation.”

To the director, the story particularly resonates and reverberates with “eternal and dramatic questions of friendship, betrayal, and loyalty. “Also, as we’ve now reached a little distance from the Cold War era, we can look at what happened; were the bad guys truly the bad guys? We should know about our shared history, especially this piece that still echoes today.”

Alfredson muses, “There’s also the factor of, ‘I know something that you don’t know.’ Say that, or hint that, to someone, and you’ve got their attention and are getting into their head.”

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Every year, the final list of nominees for one of the most important awards in Hollywood, the Oscar, is a subject of contention and furious debate. It seems inevitable that once the list is out, fans and critics start asking the golden question, “But what about [insert name or movie]?” since a year’s worth of cinematic delights is unlikely to be covered satisfactory during three hours on a Sunday night.

Toonari Post has compiled a list of the most conspicuous snubs for the 2012 Academy Awards.

Tilda Swinton

More than one critic has noted that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s Rooney Mara was handed the wildcard nod over Swinton, who gave a haunting performance in the adaptation of We Need to Talk About Kevin. It is difficult to make sense of the exclusion, and not to take anything away from Mara’s well-done performance, but the absence of Swinton after a performance like this is a terrible shame.

Michael Fassbender

Speaking of shame, Michael Fassbender, not to mention the rest of the production that lay behind one of 2011’s most memorable movies, is mentioned everywhere as one of the greatest snubs this year. His turn as the successful New Yorker who roams the streets in a constant search for satisfaction because of his sex addiction delivers the intensity and ‘teeth’ that the Academy usually raves about.

Not this time, however; Hollywoodreporter.com muses that the NC-17 rating may have stifled the Academy’s willingness to lavish their praise – no performance in an NC-17 film has ever made the bar. Others wonder if it is his age (a mature 34) that stands in the way as the Academy is notoriously reluctant to give the nod to lead actors under 40. Whatever it is, the omission of his performance and the film Shame overall, is indeed a shame.

Pariah

Grossly overlooked despite its potential, Pariah is a shot for the stars on behalf of director Dee Rees and newcomer Adepero Oduye who plays a 17-year-old Brooklyn high schooler who deals with some of the tough realities of youth, sexuality, and race.

Joining a list of other peculiar snubs, many followers of Pariah have noted that while The Help went away with four major nominations, the more realistic cinematic depiction of African American culture was passed over. Whether this is an unsavory trend or just mere coincidence is up to the individual, but many were sad to see this drama turned away.

Drive

Not only because of Ryan Gosling, who basically owned 2011, but also Albert Brooks who was heavily praised for his ‘gangland figure’ in one of the best rated movies of last year, according to Rottentomatoes.com; way ahead of Best Film nominee Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, for example, with 93 percent ‘fresh’ against a mere 45 percent.

The Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn managed to superimpose the qualities of the genre and the production into an ultra-chic movie that evidently matched the competition. Gosling had more than one fair shot at the statue this year, and Brooks, despite a nomination at the Golden Globes, was equally passed over (for Jonah Hill, who would have thought?). This is not to mention Carey Mulligan got a double negative as well with Shame. The obscure sound editing nod is nothing in comparison to the movie’s potential.

David Fincher

Some think that Steven Spielberg is the bigger directional snub, but here is the case for Fincher; his last two films earned him a solid place in the Academy sphere, and his adaptation of one of the most hyped books in recent years was sublimely in tune with his earlier work. What is more amazing is that he was nominated by the Directors Guild of America, one of the tone-setters in the rush to the Academy, but failed to make the cut. Most likely, he was passed over for The Tree of Life’s Terrence Malick.

Another case for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the snubbed Best Original Score, but at least Fincher can revel in the support for his leading lady, Rooney Mara.

Melancholia

Lars von Trier may not be the most socially apt person in the industry, but the filmmaker knows his craft, and it seems awkward that this movie, so rich in artistic expression, was undervalued at this year’s Oscars. If not for Best Cinematography, then certainly for Best Leading Actress.

Senna

There was a period last year when you could not open up a film magazine without the word Senna being mentioned somewhere. The gripping story about the life and death of Brazilian racing champion Ayrton Senna was compelling enough to speak to even the laypersons of Formula 1, but Empireonline.com has suggested that the snub is down to timing.

The documentary was already shown in some places in 2010, so the question of whether it qualified may have contributed. Nonetheless, the dissatisfaction is noticeable; there is even a Facebook group in protest.

Take Shelter

The indie genre has before wooed the Academy, if not sometimes surprisingly, it has usually been a delight. This year, the American drama Take Shelter should have been that one delight; yet the Academy either overlooked it for something else or frankly, did not bother to see it (like many moviegoers, sadly). If they had, this list could have been a whole other story.

Called a ‘powerhouse performance’ by a number of media, Michael Shannon is the bulk of the reason why the movie could have been a sure hit at the Oscars; his character has left many fans hypnotized by the magnitude of his character and subtle, but terrorizing depiction of a man at the brink of insanity. Unlike last year’s Winter’s Bone though, the film was doomed to a place in near-obscurity.

50/50

The quirky cancer ‘dramedy’ 50/50 makes it into the list of conspicuous snubs on two accounts. First of all, indie sensation Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays the cancer-strciken Adam, does an incredible job of making cancer funny. In an interview with the British paper, The Telegraph, he explains, “It’s a different kind of comedy.

It’s not like the Marx Brothers: it’s a comedy that comes from a genuine human story,” and he pulls a performance which reflects both compassion and realism. He was good enough for a Golden Globe nomination, but evidently evaded the Academy’s woes.

The second snub was the otherwise expected nod for Best Original Screenplay for writer Will Reiser who loosely based the story on his own experience. In the company of his real-life friend, Seth Rogen, Reiser overcame a cancer diagnosis after a six-hour operation. Though they both admit that the film is far from an empirical version of Reiser’s illness, the story is meant to reflect the way he felt about the experience. That is probably why the movie is so good.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

A final name is added to the list, not for a lack of nomination, but because its exclusion reflects another of the Academy’s peculiar tendencies. According to Popwatch.ew.com, the final chapter in one of the most profitable franchises ever is the latest example of a selection trend that slowly, but surely, came about after the victory of The Godfather; the Academy is less and less interested in the ‘people’s vote’, choosing to honor low-grossing films over box office hits.

James Cameron’s Avatar was a notable exception in our time, but surprisingly wound up losing the award for Best Picture to The Hurt Locker, a solid, but average performing film.

It begs the question what decides what a Best Picture is. Fans of Harry Potter’s last chapter were disappointed that Alan Rickman, in the memorable role of Snape, failed to garner the support for a nomination in the Supporting Actor category. The Potter, himself, Daniel Radcliffe noted to The Guardian:

“I don’t think the Oscars like commercial films, or kids’ films, unless they’re directed by Martin Scorsese. I was watching Hugo the other day and going, ‘Why is this nominated, and we’re not?’ I was slightly miffed [...] There’s a certain amount of snobbery. It’s kind of disheartening. I never thought I’d care. But it would’ve been nice to have some recognition, just for the hours put in.”

Of course, nominations are not given out for effort, but was the final part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows really worse than Best Picture nominee Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?

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The season of the golden statue is upon us, and the heat is increasing in the top categories. Where is the wind blowing this year? One of the most coveted awards, along with the Leading Actress trophy, is that of Best Male Lead.

This year, the battle is between experienced and seasoned performances, all around age 40 and up. At the same time, there are many first-timers, despite their years in the business, with only one of the nominated already having an Oscar to show for it. Nothing is certain until Sunday, February 26, live from Hollywood, but here are the predictions.

Demián Bichir for ‘A Better Life’

American audiences primarily know 48-year-old Demián Bichir from the TV series, Weeds, and as Fidel in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Che’. However, Bichir is a huge name back in his native Mexico, part of a family of celebrated actors, and his presence on this year’s nomination list will be his first. In Chris Weitz’s A Better Life, he plays the gardener, Carlos, who has worked hard to make a life for himself and his estranged son in the States. When his truck is stolen, father and son, albeit virtually strangers, set out to recover it in hopes of a better life.

There were reports of confusion when Bichir’s name was read among the nominees as some believed the choice was made at the expense of the highly acclaimed ‘Shame’s Michael Fassbender. While Weitz’s film was celebrated, it was not widely watched. However, the nod to Bichir is the only one for the movie, and despite the initial surprise, or maybe because of it, it seems unlikely that he will take home the award.

George Clooney for ‘The Descendants’

Already a groomed candidate with seven nominations in his pocket and a win in the Supporting category for ‘Syriana’ in 2006, 50-year-old George Clooney has placed himself firmly in the front. Unlike Bichir, Clooney is ‘Hollywood royalty’, and the story goes that a bet was made between him and fellow Tinsel royal, Brad Pitt, that if one of them got the nomination this year, the other would perform a favor.

Clooney’s was to spend the day with Brad and his partner Angelina Jolie’s pack of kids – which he allegedly loathes. With that deal already sealed, the question is if ‘The George’ will up the ante by making an actor’s Oscar hat trick – winning both Leading and Supporting Actor; something only five other actors have done before him.

Is the part worth it? Many great things have been said about The Descendants, and it is no wonder; the adapted screenplay hit a chord with critics and movie-goers alike, and Clooney’s character, Matt King, is relatable as he struggles to keep the pieces of his reality together. Already winning the Golden Globes this year is a huge plus, which tempts us to believe that the night will be Clooney’s time to shine.

Jean Dujardin for ‘The Artist’

At the tender age of 39, Jean Dujardin is not well-known in the States. Dujardin is funnily enough referred to as the French George Clooney, and the liking is merited after an evening spent in the company of The Artist - the smile says it all!

The Artist, in itself, is an incredible achievement that has reaped rave reviews around the world, with the exception of some disgruntled movie goers on the British Isles, and much of the magic is thanks to Dujardin’s charming, yet heartbreaking performance as the silent movie star, George Valentin, who fades into obscurity as the ‘talkies’ take over.

Not only is his performance a delight, but an immense amount of respect and awe goes into the challenge of performing ‘old school’; the whole cast had to abandon their experience to embrace a performance style of the past. A dark horse in the race, but a secret favorite of this reporter. Will the French finally get a leading man on the podium?

Gary Oldman for ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’

While younger generations connect Gary Oldman with good and helpful franchise characters (Harry Potter, Nolan’s Batman), most of the mature viewers know that Oldman earned his badges as the ‘bad boy’ and other villainous characters. Evidently, the tide has turned for the 53-year-old native Englishman who embodied the anti-Bond character of George Smiley in the adapted espionage drama, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, to such taste that the Academy nod was inevitable.

Even though Oldman has been around for years and is the eldest of this year’s nominees, it is the first time he has been nominated for an Oscar. Sadly, the predictions are that the honorary inclusion in the ranks of the Academy is the only thing he will be getting next Sunday.

Brad Pitt for ‘Moneyball’

So far, Brad Pitt’s career at the Academy Awards has been scattered and less eventful than you would have thought, considering his status in Hollywood. When he made the bet with George Clooney, his odds were statistically lower – curiously amusing to consider now that Moneyball is the movie that got him the nomination.

The role of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics who takes a chance on a numbers game in order to win the League, is a powerful tale of grandeur against the odds. It has been awhile since baseball filled the main plot line of a big-name movie, and critics have applauded the production team for reigniting the on-screen excitement for the game.

Some hint that the fuss over ‘The George’ might blindside observers and allow the 48-year-old father-of-six to channel his character’s underdog qualities, but as it stands, Pitt will enjoy the show and settle for the party.

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Oscar fans in New York City will be the first to see the actual Oscars that will be presented to the Best Actor and Best Actress winners at the 84th Academy Awards on Oscar Sunday, February 26. The statuettes will be part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Meet the Oscars, Grand Central” exhibition at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal.

The exhibition will open on Wednesday, February 22 at 10 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by 2010 Academy Award-winning actress Melissa Leo (‘The Fighter’). Public viewing hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, February 23, through Sunday, February 26. Admission is free.

“Meet the Oscars, Grand Central” will give movie fans the opportunity to have their photo taken holding an actual Oscar statuette. Visitors also will be able to view the Actor in a Leading Role Oscar won by Michael Douglas for “Wall Street” (1987) as well as a display of statuettes in various stages of completion, as manufactured each year by R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago.

On Saturday, February 25, the Oscars designated for this year’s Best Actor and Best Actress winners will make their way back to Hollywood, where they will be reunited with the rest of the statuettes to be presented on Oscar Night.

In related news, Oscar telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer have invited Cirque du Soleil to present a wholly unique and exclusive performance for the 84th Academy Awards. The one-time-only event will feature the largest Cirque cast ever assembled for a single act.

The performance will be accompanied by music by Academy Award-nominated composer Danny Elfman, who scored the music for Cirque du Soleil’s IRIS, A Journey through the World of Cinema™. More than 50 international artists from Cirque du Soleil productions around the world will converge in Los Angeles on Oscar Sunday to bring the dynamic showcase to life.

The act marks the second time Cirque du Soleil has performed during an Academy Awards telecast. The troupe’s first appearance, at the 74th Academy Awards, sparked discussions about creating a permanent show at the Kodak Theatre and resulted in the creation of IRIS.

Finally, two-time Academy Award winner Michael Douglas will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony. Douglas won an Oscar for his lead performance in ‘Wall Street’ (1987) and a Best Picture award as a producer of ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975). His film credits include ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,’ ‘Solitary Man,’ ‘You, Me and Dupree,’ ‘Traffic,’ ‘Wonder Boys,’ ‘Falling Down,’ ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘The China Syndrome.’

Douglas joins a stellar list of previously announced Oscar presenters, including Halle Berry, Rose Byrne, Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Milla Jovovich, Ellie Kemper, Jennifer Lopez, Melissa McCarthy, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone and Kristen Wiig.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements in 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

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The gritty spy thriller ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ will be represented at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony in the categories Original Score, Adapted Screenplay and Best Leading Actor.

The narrative of the film centers on George Smiley; fresh from his unwanted retirement, he uses all his accrued skills and knowledge to unearth a Russian mole who has burrowed deep within MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service establishment known in the story as the Circus. “The story, at its core, is a whodunit,” says Tim Bevan of Working Title Films. “Who is the double agent? But that core spirals into helixes, and the story moves through a couple of different periods of time.

Make it too simple, and you under-represent the story’s complexities. But make it too complicated, and you distance everybody. It’s been a real balancing act. “What’s as relevant now as it was thirty-odd years ago, and will be in a hundred years’ time, is how people betray one another’s trust.”

Author John Le Carré offers, “For me, this secret world was also a metaphor for the larger world in which we all live; we deceive one another, we deceive ourselves, we make up little stories, and we act life rather than live it.” Producer Robyn Slovo adds, “With its themes of deceit and betrayal, and honesty and dishonesty, this is a story about people looking into other people’s lives – while not being honest about their own lives. I feel that it’s a universal story.”

Finding a direction

While considering directors for the movie, Tim Bevan fielded a phone call from Tomas Alfredson, the Swedish filmmaker who had caught the world film community’s attention with his striking and empathetic feature ‘Let the Right One In’. Alfredson had heard that Working Title would be making ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’, and so he initiated contact. A meeting was arranged. Bevan remembers, “I was expecting some trendy young Swede to come through the door. But this very big man, about my age, came in and he was quite quiet.

“I asked for his take on the material. He said, ‘Well, I think that all of the musclebound guys, they go and they join the army. And the nerds, they are the spies.’ I thought, ‘Now, there’s an angle…’”

Robyn Slovo notes, “Here is a group of men who, on the one hand, are united in their place of work, and on the other are all separate individuals who harbor separate secrets – and are all looking and watching each other. We’re spying on a spy world. This would naturally appeal to a very visually-driven director, but there would have to be a feel for the story as well.”

Bevan adds, “We were looking for a directorial vision from a confident filmmaker to firmly guide the audience through the narrative of this complex story. Tomas was a bit of an unlikely candidate, but le Carré saw Let the Right One In and said, ‘Go with him.’

“The thing about period films is that the only thing ‘period’ about them should be the look. This allows for the viewer to have more of an emotional response. The director must create a world to journey through with the audience. These approaches characterized Tomas’ work on Let the Right One In, and now would again on Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”

Slovo notes, “Tomas is Swedish and this is an English story, so that brings an objective perspective; we don’t go down the path of the overly familiar take.” Certainly for le Carré, who had worked with Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles on the successful film version of ‘The Constant Gardener’, having a foreign filmmaker at the helm was a plus.

The author says, “As on The Constant Gardener, I thought that what we would lose in parochial Englishness we would gain in internationalism and universality. Many of the structures of British society are replicated all over the world. I think Tomas as a filmmaker brings amazing originality, and very strong onscreen ‘handwriting.’”

Alfredson remembered the 1979 miniseries, which he had watched growing up in Sweden. He recalls, “When it aired, streets were empty; everybody was watching it. The story concerned something going on that was involving and affecting the whole world, but it had nothing of the 007 style about it — it was quite different from that, almost everyday, which made it extremely interesting.” The director’s subsequent research into the era only intrigued him all the more.

He elaborates, “What many people don’t now realize is that, as a spy, you did your assignment and that was all you knew. It could be, working in a shop in Vienna for a year and writing down who goes in and who goes out of a door on the other side of the street; to do that, you would have had to learn German for months prior.

“Then you would get back and never know what it meant, but you had served your country. All you could say to family and friends was that you had been on a business trip. If you’re in such an existence too long, you can fall prey to lies and paranoia. What does it do to your morale?”

The director concedes that because le Carré’s novel “is such a cornerstone of British literature”, he did feel some pressure in taking on the assignment. “It’s scary to handle material of this magnitude,” he admits. “But you have to put that aside. If you are daring to do the job, you need to have strong connections to the material.

I suppose I understand George Smiley’s soul in some way. When I first met John le Carré, there was a very strong personal connection. It felt like I understood what he was expecting from a film, and I was very surprised that was so generous and open.

Not only in terms of sharing information and details with us for hours at a time, but also in terms of how he said, ‘Make interesting reflections of yourself.’ So I set out to try to make the images I saw in the book, and the humanity of the characters, come to the screen.”

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While John le Carré has always maintained that the spy worlds he creates are far removed from the one in which he lived, the life experiences backing his work comes through especially strongly in the character portraits. The Oscar-nominated ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ is no exception. In George Smiley, he forged an especially detailed one.

Although the late Sir Alec Guinness is most memorably associated with the part, le Carré reminds that there have been several other George Smileys. “James Mason played him,” reveals the author; the character, however, was renamed for ‘The Deadly Affair’, itself the retitled 1967 movie version of the author’s Call for the Dead.

Aside from Guinness, Smiley by name has been portrayed as a lead character by Denholm Elliott, and in cameos by Rupert Davies and Arthur Lowe. On radio, Simon Russell Beale, George Cole, Bernard Hepton, and Peter Vaughan have all starred as him.

For Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Gary Oldman took on the challenge of starring in a feature film as one of fiction’s most iconic spies. Tim Bevan of Working Title films sees Smiley as “a quiet guy who disappears into the woodwork of a room, watches and listens very carefully. He has a hard core to him, but doesn’t need to go chasing or shooting people to make his point.”

Director Tomas Alfredson recalls the character description of Smiley as “‘the perfect spy.’ He is someone you would immediately forget if you saw him on the street. He never expresses anything, never gives away what he’s thinking. He asks questions and gets his answers. So, you might think he’s not a very cinematic character – but he is!”

To prove that point, an actor who is thoroughly compelling even when “not doing very much,” as Bevan says, was essential to the film. The producer remarks, “Gary Oldman can clean his glasses and it’s as electrifying as somebody else punching someone out. “Of his generation, he is probably the finest; Gary is held in very high esteem by his peers.”

Alfredson adds, “When Gary was suggested for the role, the reaction was, ‘Perfect!’ Just look at this actor’s career, and how many different characters he’s played. Gary has all the star quality, yet he is also a chameleon; he doesn’t have this voice that you would recognize through a wall. “Gary tells us so much about Smiley through even the smallest expressions. When he raises his voice even a little, the effect is enormous. It’s a very vulnerable approach, for an actor to work with such subtlety. It’s been fantastic to see.”

Le Carré, who counted Guinness as a firm friend, notes, “I identified with Alec in one way, but with Gary in a completely different one. They’re different beasts in different products. What you feel with Gary is that he has an extraordinary command of himself as an actor; he steps right outside himself.

“With Gary you share Smiley’s pain, share the danger of life, the danger of being who he is. That is much more acute. His is a tougher Smiley. He radiates the man’s solitude, and conveys a little cruelty. I’m hypnotized by his performance.”

Oldman says, “I was very flattered to be asked to play George – just to be involved, really. Smiley is drawn from a world of John le Carré’s personal experience; all of his complex characters are so fully realized. Britain has a long espionage tradition, and I’d say we’ve spied quite well. But we have also held a rather romantic view of it, and le Carré showed the reality. I hope this movie will encourage people to discover his books.

“George Smiley is a delicious character, and a wonderful role for an actor. He is many things at once; mild-mannered, sagacious, and perspicacious. He is a student of espionage, and a great manipulator of bureaucracy who works on his wits. Smiley has a prodigious memory, like a steel trap. He has an innate sense of the foibles, the weaknesses, and the fallibilities of the human condition. He possesses a strong moral sense, even though he recognizes and understands the dark, unethical, and ugly side of what he does.”

As in the novel, Oldman’s Smiley is haunted by a quiet melancholy, born not only of his job, but also of his personal life. Oldman remarks, “One of the reviews for the book, I think it was in The Spectator, said that ‘Smiley is a great spy but an inadequate man.’ For his name to be Smiley – John le Carré is brilliant at coming up with names.

Le Carré describes Smiley as a rather short guy, unattractive, overweight; yet he told me, ‘It’s yours now. Make it what you will.’” In speaking at length with the author, Oldman also “took a few little things from watching le Carré – which I think Alec Guinness may have done as well! I also ate a lot – custard, treacle sponge…I put on a bit of weight, a paunch.”

After having briefly met with Alfredson early on to compare notes on the material and the character, Oldman conferred with him regularly during pre-production. The director remarks, “We would have discussions about Smiley’s silhouette, about if he were wearing a watch. We decided that he doesn’t wear cufflinks, because that would express something.”

In becoming Smiley from head to toe, Oldman started at the top; disdaining a wig, the actor’s own hair was bleached and highlights were weaved in. Silver rinses over the top were then added. Oldman, Alfredson, and costume designer Jacqueline Durran conferred over just which would be the right pair of glasses for Smiley to wear throughout. Ultimately, Durran remembers, “Gary went and found this pair and brought them back to us in England.

Tomas loved them, so they became Smiley’s. We had to have them duplicated in case something happened to the main set.” Alfredson confides, “Gary is open to ideas, but works very intuitively; he will say when something doesn’t feel right. He is always prepared, so sometimes it felt like Gary was getting into Smiley all the time, and it was mind-blowing to see him at work.”

Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays opposite Oldman as Smiley’s Circus colleague Peter Guillam, found him to be “so inclusive to other actors. There’s nothing precious about what Gary does. “But we were doing this one scene, where Smiley is recalling a past encounter, and it became a very thin line for me not to fall over; Guillam is enthralled, and I was mesmerized! Gary was completely inhabiting Smiley.”

Oldman reflects, “I’ve played many an extroverted character, so I loved portraying someone so still, so quiet. Smiley doesn’t act out. In Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, he’s part of a high-stakes chess game, one where everyone is intently watching how – or, if – another person is going to move.”

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To ensure public safety, support security strategies and facilitate the production of the 84th Academy Awards, 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 19, and remain closed until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, February 28.

MTA subway trains will bypass the Hollywood & Highland station after the last regularly scheduled train on Saturday, February 25, until 6 a.m. Monday, February 27. Service at the station will resume with the first scheduled train after 6 a.m.

Between Sunday, February 19, and Oscar Sunday, February 26, 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 website at www.oscars.org/closures.

In related news, Hollywood icons Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will present at the 84th Academy Awards, This is the Muppets fifth appearance at the Academy Awards.

They are fresh off their triumphant critical and box office success in Disney’s ‘The Muppets,’ which is Oscar nominated for Best Song, “Man or Muppet.”

Ben Stiller will also be presenting. Stiller will be playing the title character in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’, which he is also directing, and will be seen next in ‘Neighborhood Watch’. His film credits include ‘Tropic Thunder’, ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’, ‘Zoolander,’ ‘Meet the Parents’, ‘There’s Something about Mary’, ‘Flirting with Disaster’ and ‘Reality Bites’.

Finally, Tina Fey will present as well. Fey came to prominence as a regular on Saturday Night Live and currently stars in, produces and writes for the Emmy-winning comedy series 30 Rock.  Her film credits include ‘Date Night,’ ‘Baby Mama’ and ‘Mean Girls’. Fey recently became a best-selling author, with her memoir Bossypants having sold over one million copies.

Fey joins a stellar list of previously announced Oscar presenters, including Halle Berry, Rose Byrne, Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Milla Jovovich, Ellie Kemper, Jennifer Lopez, Melissa McCarthy, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, Emma Stone and Kristen Wiig.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 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 225 countries worldwide.

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Eighteen of the 20 nominees in the acting categories were be among more than 150 Oscar nominees who gathered at noon on Monday, February 6, at the Beverly Hilton when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored this year’s Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon.

From the Best Actress and Actor categories all the nominees – Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Rooney Mara, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Demián Bichir, George Clooney, Jean Dujardin, Gary Oldman and Brad Pitt – were expected to attend. Kenneth Branagh, Jonah Hill, Nick Nolte, Max von Sydow, Bérénice Bejo, Melissa McCarthy, Janet McTeer and Octavia Spencer were to represent the Supporting Actor and Actress categories.

Three of the five nominees in the Directing category – Michel Hazanavicius, Alexander Payne and Martin Scorsese – were also expected to attend. During the week leading up to the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present five public events celebrating this year’s nominees.

Oscar Week events will feature screenings, film clips and discussions with filmmakers and artists whose work has garnered nominations in the Animated Feature Film, Documentary, Foreign Language Film, Makeup and Short Film categories. All events will take place at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Oscar Week schedule

Tuesday, February 21, 7:30 p.m.
Shorts! The 2011 Animated and Live Action Short Film Nominees
Hosted by director, writer and animator Brad Bird who is a two-time Oscar winner in the Animated Feature Film category, for ‘The Incredibles’ (2004) and ‘Ratatouille’ (2007).

Shorts! features screenings of all of the 2011 Oscar-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories, plus an onstage discussion with the filmmakers (schedules permitting).

Wednesday, February 22, 7:30 p.m.
Docs! The 2011 Documentary Short Subject and Documentary Feature Nominees
Hosted by Michael Moore, Documentary Branch governor and 2002 Oscar winner for ‘Bowling for Columbine.’ He was also nominated in 2007 for “Sicko.”

Docs! will include film clips from each of the nominated documentary features and short subjects, and panel discussions with the nominees (schedules permitting).

Thursday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.  
Animated Feature Symposium
Hosted by actor Patton Oswalt, who voiced Remy in ‘Ratatouille’ (2007) and co-starred in ‘Young Adult’ (2011).

The Animated Feature Symposium celebrates the nominated achievements in the Animated Feature Film category. The nominees (schedules permitting) will discuss their creative processes and the development of their films, and present clips illustrating their techniques.

Saturday, February 25, 10 a.m.
Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Symposium
Hosted by Mark Johnson, Oscar-winning producer (‘Rain Man,’ 1988) and Foreign Language Film Award Committee chair.

The Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Symposium brings together the directors of the motion pictures nominated in the Foreign Language Film category to discuss their work as well as related topics such as art, politics and the challenges of their profession (schedules permitting).

Saturday, February 25, 2:30 p.m.
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium
Hosted by Leonard Engelman, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch governor.

Oscar Week’s culminating public event celebrates the nominated achievements in the Makeup category with film clips, photographs, models and onstage discussions with the nominees (schedules permitting).

You can get tickets online at www.oscars.org and by mail. Tickets to Shorts!, Docs! and the Animated Feature Symposium are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets to the Saturday events – the Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Symposium and the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium – are free. Doors open one hour prior to the event. All seating is unreserved.

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The Academy has been releasing the names of star presenters who will grace the stage at this years Academy Award ceremony on February 26. Most recent name in the bunch is Cameron Diaz.

Diaz will be seen next in ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ and ‘Gambit’. Her film credits include ‘Bad Teacher’, ‘The Green Hornet,’ ‘Knight and Day,’ ‘My Sister’s Keeper,’ ‘What Happens in Vegas,’ ‘The Holiday,’ ‘Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,’ ‘Gangs of New York,’ ‘Any Given Sunday’ and the four animated ‘Shrek’ films.

Three-time Academy Award-nominated actor Tom Cruise will also present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony. Cruise was nominated for his lead performances in ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ and ‘Jerry Maguire.’  He also was nominated for his supporting role in ‘Magnolia.’ Cruise was recently seen in ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ and will be seen next in ‘Rock of Ages.’

His other film credits include ‘Tropic Thunder,’ ‘War of the Worlds,’ ‘Collateral,’ ‘Minority Report,’ ‘A Few Good Men,’ ‘Rain Man,’ ‘The Color of Money’ and ‘Top Gun.’

Joining is also Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry. Berry won an Oscar in 2001 for her lead performance in ‘Monster’s Ball.’  She was recently seen in ‘New Year’s Eve’ and will be seen next opposite Tom Hanks and Hugh Grant in ‘Cloud Atlas.’ Berry’s other film credits include ‘Frankie & Alice,’ ‘Things We Lost in the Fire,’ ‘Die Another Day,’ ‘Swordfish,’ and the first three ‘X-Men’ films.

Speaking of which, two-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks is another one of the presenter. Hanks, who is a governor of the Academy, won consecutive Oscars in 1993 and 1994 for his lead performances in ‘Philadelphia’ and ‘Forrest Gump.’ He was also nominated for his leading roles in ‘Big,’ ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘Cast Away.’

Hanks can currently be seen in the Best Picture-nominated ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.’ His other film credits include ‘Larry Crowne,’ ‘Toy Story 3,’ ‘Charlie Wilson’s War,’ ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ ‘The Terminal,’ ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘Road to Perdition,’ ‘Apollo 13’ and ‘A League of Their Own.’

Finally, Jennifer Lopez has been announced by telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer as a presenter at the 84th ceremony. Lopez, who serves as a judge on “American Idol,” will be seen next in the feature What to Expect When You’re Expecting alongside Diaz and recently completed work on ‘Parker’ and ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift.’ Her other film credits include ‘The Back-Up Plan,’ ‘El Cantante,’ ‘Monster-in-Law,’ ‘Maid in Manhattan,’ ‘Enough,’ ‘The Wedding Planner,’ ‘Out of Sight’ and ‘Selena.’

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 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 225 countries worldwide.

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Current Grammy nominee Adele will make her much anticipated return to the live stage on the 54th Annual Grammy Award. This will be her first time performing live in nearly five months since being forced to cancel a sold-out U.S. tour to undergo surgery on her vocal cords.

Music’s Biggest Night— hosted by two-time Grammy winner LL Cool J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at Grammy.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For Grammy coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

“I’m immensely proud to have been asked to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards,” said Adele. “It’s an absolute honor to be included in such a night, and for it to be my first performance in months is very exciting and of course nerve-racking, but what a way to get back into it all.”

Two-time Grammy winner Adele has six nominations: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Short Form Music Video for “Rolling In The Deep”; Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21; and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Someone Like You.”

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards include Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson ; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton ; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Bruno Mars ; Paul McCartney ; Nicki Minaj; and Taylor Swift . Aldean, The Band Perry, Minaj, and Shelton will perform on the Grammy telecast for the first time, while Adele, Campbell, Clarkson, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Mars, McCartney, Rihanna, and Swift are returning to the Grammy stage.

LL Cool J has hosted “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night” since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual Grammy Awards telecast.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

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Producer credits for 84th Academy Awards Best Picture nominee “The Tree of Life” 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 Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill.

Academy rules allow for no more than three producers to be nominated and to potentially receive Oscar statuettes. The executive committee called a meeting to determine if “The Tree of Life” represented a “rare and extraordinary circumstance,” as described by the rules, and if any additional producer would be eligible. The committee determined that Green, Pohlad, Gardner and Hill functioned as genuine producers of the film and would be cited in the nomination.

Producers for the eight other motion pictures nominated in the Best Picture category – “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “The Help,” “Hugo,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Moneyball” and “War Horse” – were announced on January 24 and remain unchanged.

In other Oscar ceremony news, the six actresses – Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig – from the hit comedy “Bridesmaids” will be presenters at the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced recently.

McCarthy received her first Oscar nomination this year for her supporting role in the film, and Wiig also became a first-time nominee for the film’s original screenplay.  All six will be making their first Oscar show appearances.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 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 225 countries worldwide.

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The Academy has announced that this year’s official Oscars App is live and free on the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, providing fans unparalleled access to the 84th Academy Awards.

Developed by the Academy and Disney/ABC Television Group’s Digital Media Team, the Oscars App is designed to be the ultimate complement to the live telecast, giving fans premier access to the most memorable moments of the night through exclusive live cameras strategically placed on the Red Carpet, throughout the Kodak Theatre, and even in the Governors Ball, which is the official Oscar party of the night. Special cameras include the Thank You Cam — offering winners an extended opportunity to thank their supporters;

Backstage Cam — capturing sound bites, backstage action, short interviews and behind-the-scenes footage; Control Room Cam – allowing users to watch the show’s director in action; and Press Room Cam – featuring moments of winners in the press area.

“Many iPad, iPhone and iPod touch owners use their device daily while watching TV to look for show-related information,” said Karin Gilford, SVP of Digital Media for ABC.com. “Our goal is to utilize the best digital technologies to make sure those fans are having a really full, immersive experience leading up to, during and after the Oscars. We want this to be the next best thing to attending the show itself.”

“We love the level of interaction this app provides our fans,” said Christina Kounelias, chief marketing officer, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “It pulls back the curtain and takes viewers on a backstage experience that is fun and engaging. It allows fans access and vantage points that guests in the theater don’t have.”

The app debuted last year as an integral part of the Oscar Digital Experience, which won an Emmy for Creative Achievement in Interactive Arts. This year, the team has built on that success with a few key enhancements, including:

• A much larger pre-show presence in a new magazine-style format. Fans who download the app between nominations and the live show will have access to original video from last year’s show, photos and – utilizing new iOS 5 Twitter integration – the latest social media buzz.
• All video views are tracked through iCloud so viewers can keep track of what video they’ve watched regardless of the iOS device they are on.
• Access to the hugely popular “Oscar My Picks,” an interactive play-along game that offers fans a chance to test their Oscar prediction skills. Once they fill out their ballot they can share and view their friends picks on Facebook. On Oscar Sunday, users play along during the show and predict category winners ahead of the opening of the envelopes. The app will refresh and calculate your results as categories are won.
• Viewers can watch the live experience in two different modes: Watch or Direct. In Watch mode, the viewer will be guided through the live behind-the-scenes show. In the Direct mode, the viewer can select the cameras they want to use.
• This year’s app will have a live video grid so the viewer can watch all available cameras at once or zero in on one that looks the most interesting to them.
• Once in a camera view, a ticker will display over the video to tell viewers what is happening on other cameras. That way, if a fan’s favorite actor enters another view, they can jump to it quickly and easily.

“Our team really listened to what fans had to say last year, and made a huge effort to build on the things that worked to make them even better,” added Gilford.

The 84rd Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.

The Oscars App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

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