Movie fans can soon vie for seats at the most glamorous spot on Hollywood Boulevard, Oscar’s Red Carpet.

Beginning on Monday, September 24, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT fans from around the world may enter online for a random drawing for bleacher seats along the 85th Academy Awards red carpet.

There are only 700 seats available on the 500-foot-long walkway that leads into the DolbyTM Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. Those who are selected will watch and cheer Oscar nominees, presenters and other ceremony guests as they arrive at the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 24, 2013. In addition to seats, winners of the Oscar Fan Experience will be invited to watch the Academy AwardsJ at a nearby theatre and will receive a fan gift bag.

The entry form will be available at http://meteor.sparklist.com/t/2645263/4493749/3393/24/. The application process will close on Friday, November 16, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. In previous years, as many as 20,000 fans have entered the drawing for the limited number of red carpet seats.

To be eligible for the drawing, an individual must complete the entry form in its entirety. Entries must be submitted online; they may not be returned via any other method. Duplicate entries will not be accepted.

Those whose names are selected in the random drawing will be notified in November. They will then be required to submit additional information for security purposes prior to final approval. Eligible attendees will receive a confirmation letter in early January with information pertinent to the event. The Academy will not be responsible for securing travel and/or hotel accommodations for winners of the Oscar Fan Experience.

Only those individuals who have been pre-approved by the Academy will have access to the bleachers.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatr 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 and territories worldwide.

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

The article The Oscar Fan Experience: Join the Drawing appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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.

Image Courtesy of Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

The article Oscar Producers of the 85th Show Announced appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Late last year cable giant Lifetime announced that they would be remaking the 1989 classic ‘Steele Magnolias’. As though that news was not shocking enough, the network also disclosed that the new version of the film would have an all-black cast. Starring Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard, Adepero Oduye, Phylicia Rashad, Jill Scott and Condola Rashad, the film will follow six Louisiana women as they experience the ups and downs of life.

Of the remake, Nancy Dubuc, president and general manager of Lifetime Entertainment stated,

The caliber of talent associated with this film is astounding and falls in line with our strategy to make Lifetime a first stop for the industry’s best both in front of and behind the camera. Queen Latifah, Phylicia, Alfre, Jill, Adepero and Condola are some of the most celebrated women in music, film, television and stage—and we could not be more thrilled and honored for them to bring Robert Harling’s poignant story about the strength of women to a whole new generation.

News of the remake has stirred much debate on the internet. There are those who are thrilled that the film will be told from black women’s perspectives. Then, there are those who are upset that a classic will potentially be ruined.

Adapted from Robert Harling’s stage play of the same name and starring Sally Field and Dolly Parton, ‘Steel Magnolias’ premiered in November 1989. It instantly became a favorite among film lovers and went on to gross more than 95 million dollars at the box office. The film was originally intended to be a short story as Harling attempted to cope with the death of his younger sister, Susan Harling Robinson, a diabetic.

Instead, a full-length play developed. The idea behind the play was to show the strength of women through humor and conversation. Harling wanted to keep the integrity of his family’s ordeal intact, so for the film he cast several of Susan’s actual nurses, doctors and other hospital staff in their real life roles.

The title, ‘Steel Magnolias’, refers to the delicacy of a magnolia flower and the strength of steel. A total oxymoron, it suggests that not all things which are thought to be pretty, but weak, are so. The women in the film prove that when faced with tragedy, they are more than delicate darlings to be admired.

No official release date has been set for the film; however, the network has recently released a trailer to stir excitement among fans.

Image Courtesy of   Jose Gil / Shutterstock.com

The article ‘Steel Magnolias’ Gets a Makeover appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Beverly Hills, U.S.A. – Disney Media Distribution and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have extended their agreement for DMD to distribute the annual Academy Awards telecast internationally through 2020, Tom Sherak, Academy president and Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, announced on June 29. The previous agreement had been set to expire in 2014.

“Disney Media Distribution has been successful in securing distribution around the world for the Academy Awards and we’re thrilled to extend this partnership,” said Sherak. “The Oscars are an international event beloved by a global audience. It’s a testament to the magic of Hollywood.”

“We are excited to be able to extend our agreement to deliver the world’s biggest celebration of entertainment to audiences around the globe,” said Sweeney. “We look forward to building on the foundation of our relationship with the Academy, and working together to reach new audiences on new platforms in the years ahead.”

This past February, a worldwide audience of hundreds of millions experienced the Academy Awards in more than 225 international territories via a variety of both traditional broadcast outlets and new emerging video-on-demand and online streaming platforms.

In 2011, the Academy and the ABC Television Network signed a domestic rights agreement which also extended their contract through 2020.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theater at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.

About the Academy

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

Image Courtesy of  Disney

The article Disney and The Academy Continue Agreement appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and NASA will explore cutting-edge film techniques and virtual voyages using animation on Tuesday, July 10, at 7:30 PM at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Hosted by five-time Oscar-nominated producer Frank Marshall, “Capturing the Final Frontier” will feature film clips and conversations with such filmmakers as Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar and leading NASA animators and scientists. This list of prominent names in the field of film and science include Eric De Jong, Principal Investigator of the Solar System Visualization Project; Bobbie Faye Ferguson, The Director of Multimedia at the Department of Homeland Security and former NASA Public Affairs Multimedia Manager; Tom Jacobson, Producer of “Mission to Mars;” Dave Lavery, NASA Program Executive of Solar System Exploration; Dan Maas, the Art and Technical Leader of “Roving Mars;” Lisa Malone, Director of Public Affairs at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center; Toni Myers, the Director of “Hubble 3D;” Dr. Frank Summers, an Astrophysicist for the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute; and Bert Ulrich, Liason for the Multimedia Film and TV Collaborations at NASA’s Headquarters.

Presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, the event will take a journey through the space program’s breakthroughs in animation with NASA “Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s” Eric De Jong, who began his career creating Voyager animations. The evening features a look at Mars rover Curiosity graphics in anticipation of its landing on the Red Planet in August 2012.

NASA animators and image specialists regularly take these visual concepts a step further by joining forces with Hollywood filmmakers to create new wonders for the big screen.”Capturing the Final Frontier” will examine some of these collaborations, exploring the documentary films “Hubble 3D” (2010) and “Roving Mars” (2006) along with feature films “Mission to Mars” (2000) and the Oscar-nominated “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011).

Tickets for “Capturing the Final Frontier” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail.

Image Courtesy of  Scott Beale

The article NASA and The Academy of Motion Pictures Teams Up appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Winners have been announced for the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, a star-studded ceremony broadcast Live on the CBS Television Network from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Fans named Taylor Swift, Entertainer of the Year, the evening’s biggest honor.

This is the second consecutive year that Taylor Swift has been named Entertainer of the Year. This year marked a record breaking year with nearly one million fans casting their vote for Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year categories, combined.

Swift is the youngest and seventh solo female to take the award in the 40 year history of this category; previous winners include Loretta Lynn in 1975, Dolly Parton in 1977, Barbara Mandrell in 1980, Reba in 1994, Shania Twain in 1999, Dixie Chicks in 2000 and Carrie Underwood in 2008 and 2009.

Miranda Lambert won Female Vocalist of the Year and Blake Shelton won Male Vocalist of the Year. This is Lambert’s third consecutive win as Female Vocalist of the Year and Shelton’s first win as Male Vocalist of the Year.

Lambert also took the prize for Album of the Year, making her the only female to have three consecutive albums win the category. Lambert previously won Album of the Year in 2007 for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and in 2009 for REVOLUTION.

For the third consecutive year, Lady Antebellum won Vocal Group of the Year. Thompson Square won Vocal Duo of the Year, their first ACM Award win. Scotty McCreery was honored as New Artist of the Year in tonight’s broadcast, marking his first ACM win in the fan-voted category.

Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson won two awards tonight in the categories of Single Record of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year for their song “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” This marks a first win in both categories for Aldean and Clarkson.

Artists Lee Brice, Kelly Clarkson, Eli Young Band, Scotty McCreery and Thompson Squarereceived their first time Academy of Country Music Awards.

Tonight, the Academy of Country Music sold-out two of the largest arenas in Las Vegas, the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards hosted by Reba and Blake Shelton , and the Mandalay Bay Events Center for the 2nd Annual ACM Fan Jam, hosted by the Zac Brown Band.

Following is the list of winners in the 11 categories voted on by the membership (excluding the Entertainer of the Year and New Artist categories, which were voted on by a combination of professional ACM members and fans):

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift

Male Vocalist of the Year: Blake Shelton

Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert

Vocal Duo of the Year *(Off Camera Award): Thompson Square

Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum

New Artist of the Year: Scotty McCreery

Album of the Year[Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]: Four The Record – Miranda Lambert (RCA)

Produced by: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf

Single Record of the Year [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]: Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)

Produced by: Michael Knox

Song of the Year [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]: Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band

Composers: Lee Brice, Liz Rose
Publishers: Cake Taker Music (BMI), Mike Curb Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Sweet Hysteria Music (BMI)

Video of the Year [Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award): Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith

Producer: Mark Kalbfeld
Director: Michael Salomon

Vocal Event of the Year [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] *(Off Camera Award): Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson (Broken Bow Records)

Produced by: Michael Knox

For a complete list of past and present wins and nominations, please visit www.acmcountry.com and search the ACM Awards Database located on the Homepage.

Getty Images is the official photographer for the Annual Academy of Country Music Awards and photos can be accessed at www.gettyimages.com.

Image Courtesy of   Amy Nichole Harris / Shutterstock.com

The article 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards: The Winners appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Cirque du Soleil  presented a wholly unique and exclusive performance for the 84th Academy Awards on Oscar Sunday, February 26. The one-time-only event featured the largest Cirque cast ever assembled for a single act.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54694-cirque-du-soleil-84th-academy-awards-exclusive-performance-danny-elfman. More than 50 international artists from Cirque du Soleil productions around the world converged in Los Angeles to bring the dynamic showcase to life.

The act featured aerialists, Icarian acrobats, hand balancers, dancers and characters from IRIS, A Journey through the World of Cinema along with the 15-member Banquine team from Viva ELVIS in Las Vegas and a hand balancer from Zarkana, direct from Moscow’s Kremlin State Palace Theatre.  The act was accompanied by music from Academy Award-nominated composer Danny Elfman, who scored the music for Cirque du Soleil’s IRIS, A Journey through the World of Cinema.

Cirque du Soleil presented the performance as a tribute to the movie theatre experience incorporating signature Cirque acrobatic elements and imagery along with classic film clips.

The act marked the second time Cirque du Soleil 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 theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and resulted in the creation of IRIS.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 were presented on Sunday, February 26, at the theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network as well as being televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

About Cirque du Soleil
Since 1984, the company has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in over 40 countries in more than 300 cities on six continents. Cirque du Soleil has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 different countries.

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/beaconradio/

The article Exclusive and Unique Performance of Cirque du Soleil at the 84th Academy Awards appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Immediately following the Academy Awards show, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosts its traditional Governors Ball, an exclusive evening event where presenters, nominees, winners, and Hollywood insiders come together to celebrate the conspicuous end of the years most esteemed film award show. Those in attendance will enjoy Moet and Chandon Champaign and will be catered for by the master chef himself, Wolfgang Puck. We tried the food and beverages offered at the event and here are our conclusions.

Credit: Dalia Alkassar & Tamir ElSahy / The Toonari Post

Wolfgang Puck forgoes the traditional main course formality for this year’s menu in an attempt to create a more simplistic and youthful theme. With over 50 dishes, there’s truly something for everyone. Standing out among the many bits of treasure are one-bite hors d’oeuvres such as the miniature Kobe beef burgers and small-plate entrees, like the more down to earth macaroni and cheese. We asked Wolfgang Puck about his inspiration for the theme behind this year’s gala. “Lots of small pieces, almost Japanese-like. It’s more of a lounge kind of party this year, not a formal dinner,” he said.

Credit: Dalia Alkassar & Tamir ElSahy / The Toonari Post

Over 300 Wolfgang Puck chefs will be firing off a powerful array of hors d’oeuvres for the nights 3,000 or so attendees. Seafood will be one of the principle ingredients in the Governors Ball menu this year. A nicely crafted smoked salmon resting on an Oscar-shaped flatbread drizzled with caviar also lent itself to the event. The nights guests will also be offered delicious gold wrapped baked potatoes with caviar and crème fraiche, interesting pizza combinations, lobster tacos, and chicken potpie topped with shaved black truffles, to name a few. Puck’s intention to create a wide variety of items for this menu works because it encourages everyone to just have fun.

Credit: Dalia Alkassar & Tamir ElSahy / The Toonari Post

3-D glasses are given out for guests to appreciate a chocolate based placard with the 3-D image of the Oscars imposed on it, which we assume many will have fun with as they watch those on their table consume three dimensional chocolate desert placards. However, in this the Oscars theme particularly stands out. Not necessarily because the 3-D, Oscar inspired white-chocolate placard standing atop a decadent staircase of red chocolate mousse and chiffon cake isn’t a wonder to look at, which it really was. Rather, it was the sheer amount of differently sized gold-dusted chocolate Oscar statues serving as a constant reminder of the significance of film in the background, bouncing nicely off the surrounding red and golden hues, that helps make this menu a true creation for the Oscars, worthy of the nights daringness.

Credit: Dalia Alkassar & Tamir ElSahy / The Toonari Post

As the exclusive champagne of the Academy Awards, Moet and Chandon will also be offering its own Academy Award inspired, rose-pedal garnished cocktail, appropriately called the “Moet Red Carpet Glamour”.  The excellent cocktail pairs the famous Champaign with earthy ingredients such as ginger and cardamom, combined with sour mix and Hum botanical spirits.

Credit: Dalia Alkassar & Tamir ElSahy / The Toonari Post

The article 84th Academy Awards: The Governors Ball appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Women and girls are scarcely present either on screen or behind the scenes in Academy Award-nominated movies, according to a new USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism study that analyzed Best Picture Oscar contenders from 1977 to 2010.

The research team, led by communication professor Stacy L. Smith and including Marc Choueiti and Stephanie Gall , analyzed the frequency of females in Best Picture-nominated films from 2007 to 2010, and compared those numbers to findings as far back as 1977.

“Once again, females are grossly underrepresented and undervalued on screen and behind the camera,” Smith said. “These findings, obtained from films determined by voting members of the Academy, reveal yet another aspect of gender inequality in film.”

Only 32.6 percent of speaking characters from 2007 to 2010 were female, which translates into an on-screen ration of 2.1 males to every one female. Only 14.3 percent of directors from the same time period are female.

“Despite comprising roughly half of the population, females are still less than a third of all speaking characters in movies,” Choueiti said. “This is true for both prestigious films like the ones nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and the 100 top-grossing films per year.” The study also analyzed the ethnicities of speaking characters, which showed more examples of a lack of diversity in Hollywood films.

Of the speaking characters analyzed for race, 78 percent were white. Black actors accounted for 11.6 percent of the speaking roles. Latino actors accounted for 1.9 percent of speaking roles – even though they purchased 26 percent of domestic movie tickets in 2010, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

“Perhaps the most egregious underrepresentation is behind the camera,” Smith said. “However, for females, there was a small glimmer of good news. The most recent Best Picture-nominated films have nearly as many female directors as those spanning 30 years prior.”There were five female directors of Best Picture-nominated films from 2007 to 2010; there were six from 1977 to 2006. While that shows improvement, Smith said there is a long way still to go.

“Our data reveal, cautiously, that more females were employed on screen in Oscar nominations than in years past,” Smith said. “While a small step forward, parity is still nowhere in sight. The lack of equality sends a message to future content creators and consumers about who is and who is not important and who is and is not valued in film.”

Best Picture-nominated films with one or more female screenwriters showed a higher percentage of female characters than did films written solely by men. The industry adage, “Write what you know,” applies to this scenario, Smith said in the report, and may indicate that studios or financiers feel more comfortable hiring women to write female roles.

This signifies a shift from the team’s Academy Award findings conducted in 2008, which suggested that female directors played a bigger role in creating more female characters on screen. In 2008, Smith and her team saw that under a female director, female speaking characters jumped from 26.8 percent to 41.2 percent.

This study and more of Smith’s work on gender and the media may be found online at annenberg.usc.edu.

Image Courtesy of   Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

The article Women Scarcely Present and Valued in Academy Award-Nominated Movies appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

As Academy Award voters mark their ballots, researchers at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center released a study measuring a movie’s power to change the behavior of people who see it. Using an innovative instrument developed by the Lear Center, the study of more than 20,000 people found that those who saw the 2010 Oscar nominee Food had significantly changed their eating and food shopping habits.

Food viewers were significantly more likely to:

• encourage their friends, family & colleagues to learn more about food safety
• shop at their local farmers market
• eat healthy food
• consistently buy organic or sustainable food

This was compared to non-viewers who were virtually identical in 17 traits, including their degree of interest in sustainable agriculture and their past efforts to improve food safety.

The Lear Center’s new survey methodology adapts propensity score matching techniques used in clinical research as well as communication studies. It specifically addresses the key problem of “selection bias” among movie viewers: only certain people choose to see certain films, making it very difficult for researchers to expose people randomly to a movie and to determine the actual impact of the film.

The Lear Center’s methodology enables researchers with a large number of survey respondents to create a detailed profile of likely viewers of a film, and to compare very similar viewers who saw the film with those who did not. Unlike typical survey research, this method allows researchers to construct something similar to a classic study design where individuals are randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group.

“Filmmakers who want their movies to impact people’s opinions or behavior now have a way to find that out,” said Johanna Blakley, managing director and director of research at the Norman Lear Center, and the principal investigator for this study. “Over half of Food viewers said, ‘This film changed my life.’ Our research tells us exactly how those lives were changed.”

“Entertainment affects audiences,” said USC Annenberg Professor and Lear Center Director Martin Kaplan. “The challenge for scholars has been measuring that impact, especially for mass media, without requiring a fortune to spend on valid datasets. With this new Lear Center approach, we’re now able to move ahead with studies of the effects of more movies, both documentaries and scripted features.”

Food, director Robert Kenner said, “As a filmmaker, it’s both encouraging and gratifying to see quantitative results that these films have a profound impact. I am thankful to Blakley and USC for their thoughtful research and analysis.”

Additional findings about Food, viewers included a significantly higher likelihood to contribute time or money to support organized efforts around:

• improving the treatment of animals in the food industry
• improving food and drinks served in schools
• passing legislation that improves food safety
• passing legislation that offers fair wages and job protection to farm workers and food processors

Funding for the study, which was independently designed, conducted and released by the Norman Lear Center, was provided by Participant Media, the company that co-financed Food, as well as the current Best Picture nominee The Help.

The research team included principal investigator Johanna Blakley, PhD, and a team of research analysts: chief research consultant Sheena Nahm, PhD, MPH and USC doctoral students Grace Huang, MPH;Heesung Shin, MPH, and LeeAnn Sangalang.

The article Movies Affect Audiences’ Behavior, Study Finds appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Suzy Amis Cameron, founder of the Red Carpet Green Dress design contest, announced the winning dress and surprise actress who will wear the sustainable gown to the 84th Academy Awards.

Actress Missi Pyle, recently seen in the Academy Award nominated film “The Artist,” will wear a design by Valentina Delfino when she attends the 84th Academy Awards. Delfino – born in Venezuela and based in Miami – was among hundreds from around the world who submitted a sustainable dress design for the competition, which began last November.

“The Red Carpet Green Dress contest gives aspiring or established designers a chance to make a beautiful and sustainable gown that will be seen on the single most anticipated red carpet,” said Suzy Amis Cameron. “When the talented actress Missi Pyle steps onto the red carpet at the Academy Awards this Sunday, everyone will see why sustainable design can also be stunning design. Valentina Delfino has created an Oscar worthy dress, and I am thrilled Missi has joined us in creating an important fashion moment.”

Environmental advocate and wife of Director James Cameron, Suzy Amis Cameron started the Red Carpet Green Dress contest in 2009, during a non-stop red carpet bonanza she experienced while attending “Avatar” premieres, in which she wore countless dresses and began to understand the environmental footprint fashion can have on our planet. The experience helped her shape the global challenge, now in its third year, in which designers submit red carpet worthy designs made entirely of sustainable materials.

“All the world is watching this red carpet,” said actress Missi Pyle. ”And as artists, I believe it is our job to show the world that we not only care about creating incredible art, but that we are mindful of the fact that, in doing so, we can make something beautiful that is also sustainable. It is an incredible honor for me to walk the most glamorous red carpet in the world in such a stunning and meaningful dress.”

“This is a winning year for all involved in the Red Carpet Green Dress contest,” said Samata Angel, Red Carpet Green Dress Global Campaign Director.  ”We not only have a stunning garment from Valentina Delfino, but we have an actress who is part of an Oscar nominated ensemble. Missi Pyle is a talented artist whose commitment to sustainability extends to the red carpet. Her gown will shine both for its strong design, and for the important statement it makes about sustainable fashion.”

Red Carpet Green Dress benefits MUSE School CA and Global MUSE – a non-profit founded by Suzy Amis Cameron and her sister Rebecca Amis to provide resources to their partner schools around the world.  Their initiatives include assistance for basic school operations, curriculum development, and nutritious lunches for every student.

Partner Support

Red Carpet Green Dress has received support from notable partners around the world.

Missi will be wearing shoes designed by Christian Louboutin and accessories from Stella McCartney.

The dress itself was made under the guidance of award-winning designer Birgit Muller.

The Ambrose Hotel, Santa Monica’s only award-winning sustainable boutique hotel, will host winning designer Valentina Delfino. The Ambrose’s green values are the perfect compliment for the Red Carpet Green Dress contest.

Zem Joaquin, Founder & CEO of Ecofabulous.com, has supported Red Carpet Green Dress and assisted in the selection of the winning garment.

Cradle to Cradle and the Natural Resources Defense Council have worked in partnership with Red Carpet Green Dress to ensure the final design is sustainably created.

Eco fashion is a growing trend and movement among red carpet regulars, including Livia Firth and Viola Davis.

About the Winning Design

The gown will contain silk peace chiffon, lined with recycled polyester and a sustainable zipper located on the left side seam. The silk chiffon will be dyed with a natural mineral dye, which is both environmentally friendly and OSHA approved.

Peace Silk (or Cruelty–Free Silk) is the non-violent silk created through the process that permits the full life cycle of the silkworm pupae. The silkworm is able to emerge naturally and only then the cocoons are unwound.  On the contrary, the traditional sericulture approach kills the worm inside. This is done through the process of heat or steam, in order to keep the pupa from breaking through the cocoon – causing numerous threads rather than having a single fiber.

For more information, visit redcarpetgreendress.com

Image Courtesy of   Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

The article Missi Pyle to Wear the Red Carpet Green Dress Winning Sustainable Gown appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Descendants has been nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Alexander Payne) and Best Actor (George Clooney).  Building on the success of the film, the The Descendants soundtrack, available now from Sony Classical, has been #1 on Billboard’s World Music chart for the last seven consecutive weeks.

From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki.

The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.  The film, from Fox Searchlight Pictures, opened in the U.S. on November 16th.

The Descendants, based on Kaui Hart Hemmings’ highly acclaimed novel of the same name, is scored exclusively with Hawaiian music. Hemmings, who comes from Hawaii, weaves into her writing the island themes of family, soil and inheritance, and the movie too has a strong sense of place, not least thanks to its soundtrack. Given the intention of the filmmakers to lend the movie a distinct Hawaiian flavour, the natural direction to take was to use the sounds of the islands, and the music plays a crucial part in evoking an authentic mood.

Most of the titles on the soundtrack feature established masters of Hawaiian music, whether modern and classical: names such as Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth,Jeff Peterson, and Rev. Dennis Kamakahi.

The soundtrack of The Descendants not only serves to remind movie-goers of a memorable film, but also opens up a superb cross-section of Hawaiian music over the decades to listeners unfamiliar with this genre. It provides the best possible introduction to some of the greatest masters of this soulful music.

Tracklisting:

The article Five Academy Awards Nomination for The Descendants appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has entered into an agreement with Everyone Counts Inc. to exclusively develop an electronic voting system for the 85th Academy Awards, to be held in 2013.

Everyone Counts will work with PwC, the Academy’s accounting firm of record, whose role in tabulating Academy members’ votes will remain unchanged. Over the next year, the Academy will undertake a rigorous security and user-acceptance testing process.

“This is the first of many steps that we’ll be taking toward developing a secure and convenient electronic voting system, beginning with next year’s ballot,” said Academy Chief Operating Officer Ric Robertson. “We’re excited to have found great partners in the people who do this best.”

The selection of Everyone Counts is the result of an 18-month search conducted by the Academy. The company is internationally recognized for its expertise in election administration and computer security and its voting platform is a global leader in the election industry. Built into its technology and processes are multiple layers of security that include military-grade encryption techniques.

The company’s other clients include the United States Department of Defense; the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice; the state of New South Wales, Australia; and the states of Oregon, Florida, and Washington.

“We are honored to have earned the trust of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in bringing online voting to the Oscars starting next year,” said Lori Steele, Chairman and CEO of Everyone Counts Inc. “Our company was founded to set a new standard of security, accessibility, and transparency in elections. We’re proud to be working with the Academy, an organization that also represents the highest standards in its field.”

“We look forward to working with Everyone Counts for next year’s 85th Academy Awards and beyond,” said Brad Oltmanns, balloting leader, PwC. “We are excited about the new electronic voting system, which will enable us to conduct the tabulation process with the same high level of precision, trust and integrity that we have for the past 78 years.”

Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

The article Electronic Voting System Scheduled for 2013 Oscars appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The nominations for the 2012 BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Film Awards have been announced, and French silent film The Artist leads the field with twelve nominations including one for Best Film.

BAFTA’s announcement of the nominees comes just days after The Artist and The Descendants swept the board at the 69^th Annual Golden Globes Awards, and it seems likely that both films will experience similar success at Britain’s equivalent to the Academy Awards.

The two aforementioned films will go head-to-head in the categories of Best Film and Best Leading Actor (for Jean Dujardin and George Clooney), while their screenplays will each compete in the Original and Adapted Screenplay categories, respectively.

Other Golden Globes winners are included in this year’s nominations, namely: The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn for Best Animated Film; Meryl Streep for her leading role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady; and Octavia Spencer for Supporting Actress in The Help.

Meanwhile, Martin Scorsese, has been nominated for his directorial job with Hugo and will also be the recipient of this year’s BAFTA Fellowship, placing him in such Academy ranks as, Sir Charles Chaplin, Steven Spielberg, Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Judi Dench – all of whom have received the Fellowship since Alfred Hitchcock’s special recognition in 1971 for “outstanding achievement in the art forms of the moving image. It is the highest honour the Academy bestows”.

Unsurprisingly, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the conclusion to the most successful film series in box office history and one which helped elevate the British Film Industry during the 2000s, failed to pick up any nominations for its acting, directing or screenplay; however, it did earn a place on the shortlist for Best Make Up & Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

The Harry Potter film series has had mixed success during awards season in the past, but it was thought that a last-minute promotional push from Warner Bros. might help Deathly Hallows Part 2 achieve some recognition from the major award voters this season.

Nevertheless, the BAFTA voters have acknowledged one British cinema hit: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of the 1974 espionage thriller novel of the same name. Cast member Gary Oldman has been nominated for Best Leading Actor, while the film itself will vie for: Best Film, Best British Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Music, among several others.

The awards will be held on Sunday February 12 at London’s Royal Opera house, airing on BBC One, and will be hosted by Stephen Fry for the first time since 2006.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.mtv.co.uk

The article The Artist Leads BAFTA Nominations appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Another award season begins in Hollywood with the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards, which will be announced on January 15. Prior to the telecast, the names of the winners will be safeguarded by Ernst & Young LLP, a leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services and services to strategic growth markets.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has relied on the firm for the past 39 years to conduct the ballot tabulation process of the Golden Globes with security, integrity and reliability. The 69th annual Golden Globe Awards will be telecast live on NBC on Sunday, January 15, 2012, 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

“We maintain the accuracy and integrity of the Golden Globe Awards voting process and protect the security of the results,” said Andy Sale, Ernst & Young LLP lead partner responsible for the 2012 Golden Globe Awards. “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has depended on Ernst & Young for nearly 40 years, and we have always been unwavering in upholding the standard of our work on their behalf.”

Some additional facts about the Golden Globes voting, balloting and tabulation process:

• Winners are known only to three senior Ernst & Young LLP professionals in advance of the telecast.
• The firm is also responsible for qualifying voting members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, confirming that their credentials are current and meet the standards set forth by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
• The firm oversees the entire voting process, beginning with the nomination ballots, and maintains control of the ballots until the telecast is over.
• Results are triple-checked to eliminate any margin of error.
• Winner envelopes are assembled by the firm and are maintained exclusively under its control until they are handed directly to each celebrity presenter moments before they appear on-stage.

“The Golden Globe Awards signifies the start of the award season in Hollywood, and we are honored to be responsible for protecting the process of determining the winners,” said John Nendick, Global Media and Entertainment Leader for Ernst & Young. “Motion picture, television, music, publishing, advertising and digital media companies continually turn to Ernst & Young as one of their most valuable and trusted resources.”

s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

The article Ernst & Young Gather for 40th Year to Secure Golden Globes Votes appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The time for deliberation is almost over. The voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have begun mailing out the nomination ballots for the 84th Academy Awards, scheduled to take place on Sunday February 26 and to be hosted by Billy Crystal.

The ballots themselves, which are to be completed by the 5,783 voting members of the Academy, must be returned by January 13 and will be announced on January 24, at which point firm-favourites and critics-choices will learn if their hopes of award-season glory have been warranted or wasted.

Some of those favorites include Meryl Streep and George Clooney, whose roles in “The Iron Lady“ and “The Descendants”, respectively, have already garnered them nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).

Other actors expected to receive Academy Award nominations based on prior accolades this season include: Michelle Williams for “My Week With Marilyn”, Ryan Gosling for “The Ides of March” – for which, incidentally, Clooney has received a Golden Globe nomination in the directing field -, Leonardo DiCaprio for the biopic “J. Edgar”, and Viola Davis for Dreamworks’ adaptation of “The Help”.

Statistically, the Golden Globes and SAGs have been shown to be the primary indicators of who will achieve success at the Academy Awards. For example, the 2010-11 awards season saw David Fincher’s “The Social Network” compete against Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech” in many of the major categories, with Fincher’s film triumphing at the Golden Globes, Hooper’s film triumphing at the SAGs, and each film ultimately walking away with a handful of Academy Awards.

This ceremony is in fact the last in Hollywood’s award season, so if this year’s voting replicates last year’s, it may go down to the wire as to who will indeed succeed in the Academy’s Best Picture and Acting categories. Therefore, while there may be little in the way of surprises awaiting the Hollywood press on January 24 when the nominations are announced, there will be no doubt added anticipation over whether the voters will sway away from favoring the abundance of high-profile biopics making waves this season.

These are namely: “The Iron Lady”, a study of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; “My Week With Marilyn”, a week in the life of Marilyn Monroe; and “J. Edgar”, a study into the FBI director’s personal life and debated sexuality. Each film has already received multiple nominations from other major award bodies, but this may be a case where there are too many releases from the same genre which ultimately cancel each other out.

Aside from their acting nominations at the Golden Globes, none of the films managed to make the final cut into the Hollywood Foreign Press’ Best Motion Picture selection, so there may still be some spots up for grabs in the final Academy Award shortlist.

Whatever happens, it won’t be long until the public finds out.

Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

The article Oscar Nominating Ballots Are in The Mail appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams will serve as music consultants for the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced. This will be the first time the composers have worked on the Oscar show.

“Hans is one of the most accomplished and creative film composers of our time, and Pharrell is a phenomenal songwriter with an amazing list of credits,” said Grazer and Mischer. “This is an exciting and prestigious collaboration that promises to take the audience on a musical journey.”

“It is a great privilege to serve the Academy in this role and to help celebrate and honor this year’s incredible artistry,” stated Zimmer. ”I am honored to work with my mentor and teacher, Hans Zimmer and I have wanted to collaborate with Brian Grazer on something for years,” said Williams. “I cannot believe I will be joining them and their teams on the most prestigious show of the year, the Academy Awards.”

Zimmer won an Oscar in 1994 for Original Score for “The Lion King” and has received eight additional nominations for Original Score. He has earned 10 Grammy nominations and won four.

Williams is a prolific producer-singer-songwriter who has also written for feature films. He has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and has won three. Williams’ songs have appeared on the soundtracks of such films as “Any Given Sunday,” “Kiss of the Dragon,” “Zoolander,” and “Knocked Up.” He wrote the original song score for “Despicable Me.”

Other news about the biggest night for Hollywood – Denny Clairmont, John Hora, Bob Lambert and Milt Shefter have accepted invitations to join the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, bringing the Council’s 2011–2012 membership roster to 24.

Clairmont, one of the industry’s premier motion picture camera technologists, co-founded Clairmont Camera, a camera rental company that has grown into one of the largest in the world. In 2010 he received the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation for “outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”

A member of the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards Committee since 1993, Clairmont also has served for several years on numerous subcommittees. He has been an Academy member since 2002. Hora has been a member of the Academy’s Cinematographers Branch since 1986.

As a senior executive of The Walt Disney Company for more than 20 years, Lambert has been a leader in the transition to digital technologies in film, television, gaming, social media and emerging consumer media. He initiated the company’s successful collaboration with Pixar and oversaw the development of new digital production processes such as the “CAPS” system for feature animation, which was recognized with a Scientific and Engineering Award in 1991. Lambert has been an Academy member since 1999.

Shefter, a film preservationist and president of Miljoy Enterprises, is best known for the creation, design and management of the extensive Paramount Pictures Asset Protection Program, including construction of state-of-the-art archival facilities worldwide. He was the project lead for the Academy reports The Digital Dilemma and the upcoming Digital Dilemma 2, due out next month. He has been an Academy member since 1989.

Established in 2003 by the Academy’s Board of Governors, the Science and Technology Council provides a forum for the exchange of information, promotes cooperation among diverse technological interests within the industry, sponsors publications, fosters educational activities and preserves the history of science and technology of motion pictures.

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

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/n-r-t/

The article Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams Join Team for the 84th Oscar Show appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

It’s that time of year again, when British actors, directors, screenwriters and producers come together for the British Independent Film Awards. Get ready for an amalgamation of glamor, grandeur and great talent at the 14th ceremony on Sunday 4 December at Old Billingsgate, London.

It has been announced that the ceremony will be hosted by Chris O’Dowd, Irish comedy actor and star of the hit of the summer, ‘Bridesmaids.’ First-time host O’Dowd commented: “It’s a ceremony which cherishes innovation, elegance and class so I’m humbled that they’ve chosen a host who so clearly lacks any of these things. Expect dancing girls.”

Created in 1988, the British ceremony celebrates and honors great talent within the British Film Industry, as well as promoting promising new talent set to contribute more to the future of the industry.

A Jury is also now in place for the ceremony, chaired by producer Andrew Eaton (The Killer Inside Me). Other members include actress Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans), casting director Lucy Bevan (An Education), art director Neil Lamont (Harry Potter), actor David Thewlis (Harry Potter) and editor Justine Wright (Touching the Void).

One of the most prestigious acting awards is the Richard Harris award, introduced in 2003 and dedicated to the late actor, known most famously for portraying Oliver Cromwell and Albus Dumbledore. Fellow Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes has been announced as the latest to receive the award, marking an Outstanding Contribution to the British Film Industry.

Previous winners were Helena Bonham-Carter (2010), Daniel Day-Lewis (2009), David Thewlis (2008), Ray Winstone (2007), Jim Broadbent (2006), Tilda Swinton (2005), Bob Hosking (2004) and John Hurt (2003).

The nominations for other awards include:

Best British Independent Film
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tyrannosaur
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Director
Ben Wheatley – Kill List
Steve McQueen – Shame
Tomas Alfredson – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur
Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actress
Rebecca Hall – The Awakening
Mia Wasikowsa – Jane Eyre
MyAnna Buring – Kill List
Olivia Colman – Tyrannosaur
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actor
Brendan Gleeson – The Guard
Neil Maskell – Kill List
Michael Fassbender – Shame
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur.

Best Foreign Independent Film
Animal Kingdom
Drive
Pina
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

The awards themselves are an impressive 1kg of Swarovski crystal called ‘Eternal Objects’ designed by Tokujin Yoshioka. For people living within the UK wanting to watch the event, it will be streamed live on Sunday 4 December on www.lovefilm.com

Entertainment Press / Shutterstock.com

The article 2011 British Independent Film Awards appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 84th Academy Awards. One hundred twenty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

• “Battle for Brooklyn” (RUMER Inc.)
• “Bill Cunningham New York” (First Thought Films)
• “Buck” (Cedar Creek Productions)
• “Hell and Back Again” (Roast Beef Productions Limited)
• “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” (Marshall Curry Productions, LLC)
• “Jane’s Journey” (NEOS Film GmbH & Co. KG)
• “The Loving Story” (Augusta Films)
• “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” (@radical.media)
• “Pina” (Neue Road Movies GmbH)
• “Project Nim” (Red Box Films)
• “Semper Fi: Always Faithful” (Tied to the Tracks Films, Inc.)
• “Sing Your Song” (S2BN Belafonte Productions, LLC)
• “Undefeated” (Spitfire Pictures)
• “Under Fire: Journalists in Combat” (JUF Pictures, Inc.)
• “We Were Here” (Weissman Projects, LLC)

The Documentary Branch Screening Committee viewed all the eligible documentaries for the preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles on the shortlist.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Academy could also announce that the Academy Award-winning production designer John Myhre will design the 84th Academy Awards. This will be the first time Myhre has served as production designer for the Oscars.

“John is a prolific production designer, who has created some of the most intriguing sets that we’ve ever seen,” said Brian Grazer and Don Mischer. “His cinematic perspective will be a great contribution to our team dynamic and the show itself.”

Myhre won Academy Awards in the Art Direction category in 2002 for Chicago and in 2005 for Memoirs of a Geisha. He has three additional Oscar nominations for his work on Elizabeth (1998), Dreamgirls (2006) and Nine (2009). Myhre’s other production design credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Wanted, Ali and X-Men.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.

The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

DFree / Shutterstock.com

The article The Oscars Race 2011: 15 Documentary Features Ready for Initial Voting appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.