Oscar Nomination For AIDS Documentary “How To Survive A Plague”

Oscars 2013 - Nominations

BEST PICTURE
Amour 
Argo 
Beasts of the Southern Wild 
Django Unchained  
Les Misérables  
Life of Pi
Lincoln 
Silver Linings Playbook 
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST DIRECTOR
Amour - Michael Haneke
Beasts of the Southern Wild -Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi - Ang Lee
Lincoln - Steven Spielberg
Silver Linings Playbook - David O. Russell

BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Denzel Washington - Flight

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook 
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour 
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild 
Naomi Watts - The Impossible

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin - Argo
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master 
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln 
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - The Master 
Sally Field - Lincoln 
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions 
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

The full list is here.

Seth MacFarlane To Host Oscars

ABC News reports:

Seth MacFarlane, the mastermind behind ”Family Guy” and the 2012 comedy hit “Ted,”  will host the 85th Academy Awards in 2013.
ABC made the announcement in a press release today.
“We are thrilled to have Seth MacFarlane host the Oscars. His performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh,” producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in the release. “He will be the consummate host, and we are so happy to be working with him.”
“It’s truly an overwhelming privilege to be asked to host the Oscars,” MacFarlane said in the release. “My thoughts upon hearing the news were, one, I will do my utmost to live up to the high standards set forth by my predecessors; and two, I hope they don’t find out I hosted the Charlie Sheen roast.”
MacFarlane’s hosting gig will mark his first appearance on the Oscar stage. Recently, he hosted the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” showing off his versatility as he sang and did voices during his opening routine.
MacFarlane made his feature directorial debut this past summer with the box office hit “Ted,” which he co-wrote and produced, while voicing the title character.  In addition to “Family Guy,” MacFarlane is also the co-creator of “American Dad!” and “The Cleveland Show.”
The 85th Annual Academy Awards will broadcast live on Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC.

Ellen Toasts Christopher Plummer!

Gay Icon & Legendary Actress Meryl Streep Wins 3rd Academy Award For Role In “The Iron Lady”

Streep, 62, won best actress for her 17th Oscar nomination, the most times any performer has been nominated by the Academy.

Christopher Plummer Wins An Oscar® For Gay Role In “Beginners” 

At 82, he’s become the oldest person to ever have won an Academy Award.

JCPenney To Air First Commercials With Ellen DeGeneres During The Academy Awards Telecast

Here are some of the Nominees:

BEST PICTURE: The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris,Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse.

BEST ACTOR: Demián Bichir - A Better Life, George Clooney - The Descendants, Jean Dujardi - The Artist, Gary Oldman -Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Brad Pitt - Moneyball.

BEST ACTRESS: Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis -The Help, Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady, Michelle Williams = My Week With Marilyn.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn, Jonah Hill - Moneyball, Nick Nolte - Warrior, Christopher Plummer - Beginners, Max von Sydow -Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Bérénice Bejo - The Artist, Jessica Chastain - The Help, Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids, Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs, Octavia Spencer - The Help.

BEST DIRECTOR: The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius, The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Hugo - Martin Scorsese,Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen, The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick.

AIDS Documentary “We Were Here” Shortlisted For An Oscar Award

The Advocate reports:

We Were Here, an affecting look at the terrifying early years of the AIDS epidemic and how it ravaged San Francisco, has made the short list of documentary films that will be considered for an Academy Award nomination.The film opened to exceptional reviews in September and accomplished what every good documentary aspires to — sparking a dialogue, here between survivors of that era and a younger generation of gay men who are often afraid to ask about the AIDS crisis.  In August director David Weissman described the making of the film to The Advocate, saying, “We cried pretty much every day in the editing room, but there was a point where we realized we weren’t crying at sadness, we were crying at beauty. Partly the beauty that was being expressed on-screen but partly a realization of what it might generate, the healing capacity of the film.”Each year, the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Documentaries Screening Committee select a short list of 15 films that are eligible for consideration for nomination for an Oscar for Best Documentary. We Were Here has been announced as one of the 15 films that will be considered for the 2011 nominations, which will be announced January 24. “Regardless of what happens from here on in, the short list itself is a great honor, and tremendous validation for the film,” Weissman says.

Billy Crystal To Host The Oscars

The Huffington Post reports:

UPDATE: Variety has confirmed that Crystal will indeed host the Oscars.
_____
PREVIOUSLY: Billy Crystal is coming to the rescue for the Oscars — or so he’s tweeting, anyway.
The comedy veteran and nine time Oscar host tweeted on Thursday afternoon that he would be hosting the Oscars, though he added a sarcastic aside: “Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show.”
If true, Crystal will take over for Eddie Murphy, the planned host who withdrew on Wednesday after Brett Ratner resigned from his producing post on Tuesday night. Ratner left amid controversy, including making a homophobic slur at a screening of his new movie, “Tower Heist,” last week.
New producer Brian Grazer, who took over last night, was allegedly trying to bring Murphy back into the fold, but instead has turned to a beloved choice to right the ship.

Well, there goes hope for Ellen DeGeneres, Rosi O’Donnell or Lily Tomlin to host the Oscars.

Eddie Murphy Quits Oscar Gig

The Advocate reports:

Eddie Murphy has withdrawn as host of the 84th Academy Awards following the resignation of his friend Brett Ratner, who stepped down as producer partly due to criticism over his use of a gay slur, reports Deadline.

Murphy released a statement but doesn’t give a specific reason for his departure. “First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party’s decision with regard to a change of producers for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony,” Murphy says. “I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job.”

Following widespread industry concern over Ratner’s suitability as Oscar co-producer following his use of a homophobic slur over the weekend and boasting about his sexual exploits on a radio show, Ratner announced his departure yesterday. Many wondered whether Murphy, who’d been convinced to take the hosting gig after working with Ratner on the comedy Tower Heist, would follow suit.

“I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well,” says Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in a statement.

Ratner’s co-producer Don Mischer, who is a past Oscar producer, seems to still be in place. It’s not yet clear whether another producer will replace Ratner and who will be hired to replace Murphy.

2011 Oscar Nominations

Best actor nominees include James Franco (”127 Hours”) , Jeff Bridges (”True Grit”), Colin Firth (”The King’s Speech”), Jesse Eisenberg (”The Social Network”), and Javier Bardem (”Biutiful”).

Best actress nominees include Annette Bening (”The Kids Are All Right”), Michelle Williams (”Blue Valentine”), Nicole Kidman (”Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (”Winter’s Bone”), and Portman (”Black Swan”).

Best supporting actress nominees include Amy Adams (”The Fighter”), Helena Bonham Carter (”The King’s Speech”), Melissa Leo (”The Fighter”), Hailee Steinfeld (”True Grit”) and Jacki Weaver (”Animal Kingdom).

Best supporting actor nominees include Christian Bale (”The Fighter”), John Hawkes (”Winter’s Bone”), Mark Ruffalo (”The Kids Are All Right”), Geoffrey Rush (”The King’s Speech”) and Jeremy Renner (”The Town”).

Best director nominees are Joel and Ethan Coen (“True Grit”), Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”), Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech”), David O. Russell (“The Fighter”) and David Fincher (“The Social Network”).

The movies up for best picture are “Black Swan,” “The Fighter,” “Inception,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The King’s Speech,” “127 Hours,” “The Social Network,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” and “Winter’s Bone.”

Best foreign film nominees: Biutiful (Mexico), Dogtooth(Greece), In a Better World (Denmark), Incendies (Canada),Outside the Law (Algeria). Complete list here.