Oscars odds, ends, facts and figures
Here is a collection of facts, figures and trivia about this year's Academy Award nominees:
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has become the second-most-nominated film in Academy Award history. First place is still held by "Titanic" (1997) and "All About Eve" (1950), with 14 nominations each.
THE STREEP STREAK: Meryl Streep continues to be Oscar's most nominated performer, with this year's nod for "Doubt" bringing her total to 15. That's three ahead of Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, who have 12 each. But Hepburn has won four Oscars and Nicholson has won three, while Streep has two.
A NEW RECORD HOLDER: Kate Winslet is now the youngest person to garner six Oscar nominations. Winslet received her sixth nomination, for "The Reader," at 33, one year younger than Bette Davis was when she got her sixth in 1942 for "Now, Voyager."
REPEAT PERFORMER; Philip Seymour Hoffman is the only repeat Oscar nominee from last year. Hoffman, nominated Thursday for supporting actor for "Doubt," was nominated for supporting actor last year for "Charlie Wilson's War." He won the lead actor Oscar for 2005's "Capote."
POSTHUMOUS NOMINEES: With his supporting actor nomination for "The Dark Knight," Heath Ledger joins a handful of Hollywood notables to be so honored after their deaths. Others include James Dean ("East of Eden," 1955, and "Giant," 1956), Spencer Tracy ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," 1967), Peter Finch ("Network," 1976), Ralph Richardson ("Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes," 1984) and Massimo Troisi ("The Postman," 1995). Only Finch has gone on to win.
UNOFFICIAL NOMINEE: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also lists Jeanne Eagles as an "unofficial" nominee for best actress for 1929's "The Letter," the year she died. Although only winners were announced that year, the Academy says records indicate Eagles was "under consideration" for an award.
CHANNELING A PRESIDENT: Frank Langella, nominated for "Frost/Nixon," becomes the second actor nominated for a best actor Oscar for portraying former President Richard Nixon. Anthony Hopkins was the first, for 1995's "Nixon."
BEEN THERE BEFORE: Five acting nominees in this year's Oscar competition are previous winners: Sean Penn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Marisa Tomei.
Oscar Snubs: A Dark Day for Dark Knight
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Maybe fans should have seen it coming, The Dark Knight, after all, does not have a happy ending.
The genre-busting Batman movie, a critical and popular favorite that earned more money in Hollywood history than all but one film and, up until today's Oscar nominations, spent award season being lauded as one of the Industry's top films, was denied a shot at the prize of prizes: Best Picture.
Also turned away: Dark Knight filmmaker Christopher Nolan, shut out of the directing and writing categories.
The Dark Knight did earn eight overall nominations, including one for the late Heath Ledger, but it didn't earn the respect that its studio and at least one grassroots fan campaign sought.
Others coming up short: WALL-E, which desired a Best Picture slot, but made do with an Animated Feature nomination; Kate Winslet, who was nominated for The Reader, but was unable to become a double nominee for Revolutionary Road; Bruce Springsteen, a Golden Globes winner for The Wrestler's title song, a non-factor in the Original Song race (and, no, Miley Cyrus' Bolt song wasn't nominated, either).
'Benjamin Button' leads Oscars with 13 nominations
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" led Academy Awards contenders Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.
Other best-picture nominees are "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader" and "Slumdog Millionaire."
As expected, Heath Ledger had a supporting-actor nomination for "The Dark Knight" on the one-year anniversary of his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. But the Batman blockbuster was shut out from other top categories such as best picture and director.
"Slumdog Millionaire" lived up to its rags-to-riches theme, coming in second with 10 nominations, including a directing spot for Danny Boyle and two of the three song slots.
Real-life couple Pitt and Angelina Jolie both will be going to the Oscars as nominees. Jolie had a best-actress nomination for the missing-child drama "Changeling."
The acting categories were loaded with surprises. Kate Winslet won two Golden Globes, best dramatic actress for "Revolutionary Road" and supporting actress for "The Reader." But she was nominated for lead actress at the Oscars for "The Reader" and shut out for "Revolutionary Road."
Actors considered longshots also sneaked in, among them lead-actor nominee Richard Jenkins for "The Visitor," best-actress contender Melissa Leo for "Frozen River" and supporting-actor pick Michael Shannon for "Revolutionary Road."
Winslet reunited with "Titanic" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for "Revolutionary Road," but he also was shut out for a nomination on that film.
Other best-actress nominees were Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married" and Meryl Streep for "Doubt." It was a record 15th nomination for Streep, who already had more Oscar nominations than any other actor.
Joining Pitt and Jenkins in the best-actor category were Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; and Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."
Other acting snubs included Clint Eastwood for "Gran Torino," Sally Hawkins for "Happy-Go-Lucky" and Kristin Scott Thomas for "I've Loved You So Long."
But perhaps the biggest surprise overall was the so-so results for "The Dark Knight," which had been picking up momentum as one Hollywood trade guild after another picked it as one of the year's best films.
The largest blockbuster in years, "The Dark Knight" had eight nominations, but other than Ledger's honor, it scored only in technical categories such as cinematography, visual effects and editing.
Before his death, Ledger's reinvention of the Joker as a mad-dog anarchist already was bringing him Oscar buzz. After Ledger died on Oscar nominations day a year ago, an almost mythical aura grew around the actor, helping to fuel a record $158.4 million opening weekend for "The Dark Knight" last summer.
Long viewed as the favorite, Ledger won the supporting-actor prize at the Golden Globes. If the same happens on Oscar night, Ledger would be only the second performer to receive an Oscar posthumously, following Peter Finch, the best-actor winner for 1976's "Network."
Ledger is the seventh actor to earn a posthumous nomination. Along with Finch, others include James Dean, nominated for best actor twice after his death, with 1955's "East of Eden" and 1956's "Giant."
The other actors nominated after their deaths were Spencer Tracy (1967's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"); Ralph Richardson (1984's "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes"); Massimo Troisi (1995's "The Postman"); and Jeanne Eagels (1929's "The Letter").
Directors of all five best-picture nominees all were nominated. Along with Boyle and Fincher, the directing category includes Ron Howard for "Frost/Nixon," Gus Van Sant for "Milk" and Stephen Daldry for "The Reader."
Featuring a cast of unknowns, "Slumdog Millionaire" mixes the humorous and the horrific in a love story about an orphan from the streets of Mumbai who becomes a champion on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
The film's newcomer cast was shut out in acting categories, but its 10 nominations included slots for screenplay, cinematography and musical score.
"Slumdog Millionaire" nearly became a casualty of 2008's collapse of studio arthouse divisions. Warner Independent had been set to release the film, which went into limbo after Warner Bros. shut down the specialty banner. The film faced the prospect of going straight to DVD until 20th Century Fox division Fox Searchlight stepped in to release it theatrically.
So far playing in relatively narrow release, "Slumdog Millionaire" has climbed to nearly $45 million at the domestic box office, with plenty of shelf life left to make good on its modest $14 million production budget.
The film dominated the Golden Globes, sweeping all four of its categories, including best drama and director.
Like "Slumdog Millionaire," "The Wrestler" presents an on-screen drama whose theme parallels the comeback story of Rourke. Playing a former wrestling star with one last shot at glory, Rourke returns to the promise of his early career, before his bad-boy behavior made him virtually unemployable in Hollywood.
"The Wrestler" earned Rourke the Golden Globe for dramatic actor. The film also won a Globe for the title song by Oscar winner Bruce Springsteen. But Springsteen missed out on a song nomination for "The Wrestler."
Along with the two tunes from "Slumdog Millionaire," the third song nominated was one co-written by Peter Gabriel for the animated blockbuster "WALL-E."
The robot romance "WALL-E" is the latest Pixar Animation blockbuster coming in as the favorite for the animated-feature Oscar. "WALL-E" is up against the martial-arts comedy "Kung Fu Panda" and the dog tale "Bolt."
A win for the critically adored "WALL-E" would be the fourth feature-length animation Oscar for Pixar, giving the outfit behind "Ratatouille," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles" half of the eight trophies since the category was added in 2001.
Oscar nominees are chosen in most categories by specific branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, such as actors, directors and writers. The academy's full membership of about 6,000 was eligible to vote for best-picture nominations and can cast ballots for the winners in all categories at the Oscar ceremony itself.
The 81st Oscars will be presented Feb. 22 in a ceremony airing on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
This year's Oscars already present a departure from previous shows. Rather than a comedian, such as past hosts Billy Crystal, Chris Rock or Jon Stewart, the emcee this time is Hugh Jackman, star of the "X-Men" flicks and a Tony Award winner for best actor in a musical.
Rock, the Oscar host four years ago, has some advice for Jackman about handling the crowd of nominees, most of whom go home empty-handed.
"I'll tell him what Billy told me. An hour and a half into the show, most of the audience has lost, so you have to take that into account as you go on with the show," Rock said this week at the Sundance Film Festival. "But I'm sure he'll be great, singing and dancing and doing his thing."
ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR TO HOST THE 2010 JUNO AWARDS
St. John’s, NL (January 22, 2009) - The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) along with broadcast partner, CTV, today announced St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador as the Host City for The 2010 JUNO Awards to be held April 15-18, 2010. This marks the second time St. John’s will host Canada’s Music Awards that encompasses four days of local festivities and popular JUNO Awards Weekend Events. The 39th Annual JUNO Awards will be broadcast on CTV, Sunday, April 18, 2010.
“The JUNO Awards have come full circle to arrive back in St. John’s following the great success of our visit here in 2002, and we at CARAS are thrilled to be returning to a city of such enthusiasm and rich musical tradition,” said Melanie Berry, CARAS President. “2010 will mark the beginning of an exciting new city to city cycle for the JUNO Awards.”
“With the 2010 JUNO Awards, CTV will have broadcast this tremendous celebration of Canadian music from one coast to the other and back again,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc. “It was in St. John’s that CTV began our partnership with CARAS and started taking the show on the road, so next year’s broadcast has special meaning.”
“The return of The JUNO Awards to St. John’s is wonderful news for the music industry in this province whose members are firmly established on national and international stages,” said Premier Danny Williams. “We invite the country to celebrate with us in 2010 the extraordinary musical talent of both our province and the country as a whole. Our artists define who we are culturally and contribute substantially to the rich and diverse heritage of Canada, and we look forward to hosting this amazing award show.”
A strong bid was presented to CARAS and was awarded to St. John’s based on a combination of solid commitments from the municipal, provincial and federal governments, its first-class venues as well as its reputation as a city that embraces and promotes Canadian music and culture.
“The Government of Canada is proud to support The JUNO Awards, which have played a pivotal role in recognizing the careers of our nation’s most talented and emerging musicians,” said the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency). “Our cultural industries are powerful drivers of economic growth that enrich education and help make vibrant, creative communities.”
St. John’s, known as The City of Legends, is surrounded by spectacular coastlines. Downtown St. John’s is a vital urban centre of arts and culture built on significant historic sites, charming streetscapes and exceptional entertainment venues.
“We are extremely delighted to host The JUNO Awards once again in St. John’s,” remarked Mayor Dennis O’Keefe. “We are proud of our reputation as a cultural capital, and this prestigious event affords us a tremendous opportunity to show the country why St. John’s is the place to be.”
Many venues in the surrounding area of St. John’s will host various JUNO Awards Weekend Events. Location and programming details will be announced at a later date.
The successful bid for The 2010 JUNO Awards in St. John’s received commitments from all levels of government totaling $1.5 million including $750,000 from the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, $500,000 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and $250,000 from The City of St. John’s.
Broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound, The 2010 JUNO Awards, Canada’s Music Awards, will air on CTV on Sunday, April 18, 2010. It will be the ninth year in a row that The JUNO Awards will air on CTV, the official broadcast partner of the JUNO Awards. Since CTV joined forces with CARAS in 2002, The JUNO Awards have travelled across Canada, bringing a live, electrified stadium show to millions of Canadians. Since going live from St. John’s in 2002, CTV has broadcast The JUNO Awards from Ottawa (2003), Edmonton (2004), Winnipeg (2005), Halifax (2006), Saskatoon (2007) and Calgary (2008).
The 2009 JUNO Awards will take place in Vancouver, BC, March 26-29, and will air on CTV on Sunday, March 29, 2009.
'Benjamin Button' leads Oscars with 13 nominations
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" led Academy Awards contenders Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson and a directing slot for David Fincher.
Other best-picture nominees are "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader" and "Slumdog Millionaire."
Heath Ledger had a supporting-actor nomination for "The Dark Knight," but the Batman blockbuster was shut out for other top categories such as best picture and director.
"Slumdog Millionaire" lived up to its rags-to-riches theme, coming in second with 10 nominations, including a directing spot for Danny Boyle and two of the three song slots.
Real-life couple Pitt and Angelina Jolie both will be going to the Oscars as nominees. Jolie had a best-actress nomination for the missing-child drama "Changeling."
Kate Winslet won two Golden Globes, best dramatic actress for "Revolutionary Road" and supporting actress for "The Reader." But she was nominated for lead actress at the Oscars for "The Reader" and shut out for "Revolutionary Road."
Other best-actress nominees were Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"; Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"; and Meryl Streep, "Doubt."
Joining Pitt in the best-actor category were Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"; Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; and Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."
More to follow...
List of 81st annual Oscar nominations is announced
Here is the complete list of 81st annual Academy Award nominations announced Thursday:
1. Best Picture: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."
2. Actor: Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"; Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."
3. Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"; Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"; Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"; Meryl Streep, "Doubt"; Kate Winslet, "The Reader."
4. Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk"; Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"; Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"; Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road."
5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "Doubt"; Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"; Viola Davis, "Doubt"; Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler."
6. Director: David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"; Gus Van Sant, "Milk"; Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"; Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire."
7. Foreign Film: "The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany; "The Class," France; "Departures," Japan; "Revanche," Austria; "Waltz With Bashir," Israel.
8. Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"; Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"; David Hare, "The Reader"; Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire."
9. Original Screenplay: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"; Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"; Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"; Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"; Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, "WALL-E."
10. Animated Feature Film: "Bolt"; "Kung Fu Panda"; "WALL-E."
11. Art Direction: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Duchess," "Revolutionary Road."
12. Cinematography: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."
13. Sound Mixing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."
14. Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."
15. Original Score: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat; "Defiance," James Newton Howard; "Milk," Danny Elfman; "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman; "WALL-E," Thomas Newman.
16. Original Song: "Down to Earth" from "WALL-E," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; "O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.
17. Costume: "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Duchess," "Milk," "Revolutionary Road."
18. Documentary Feature: "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)," "Encounters at the End of the World," "The Garden," "Man on Wire," "Trouble the Water."
19. Documentary (short subject): "The Conscience of Nhem En," "The Final Inch," "Smile Pinki," "The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306."
20. Film Editing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire."
21. Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."
22. Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes," "Lavatory — Lovestory," "Oktapodi," "Presto," "This Way Up."
23. Live Action Short Film: "Auf der Strecke (On the Line)," "Manon on the Asphalt," "New Boy," "The Pig," "Spielzeugland (Toyland)."
24. Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man."
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Academy Award winner previously announced this year:
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (Oscar statuette): Jerry Lewis
'Benjamin Button' leads Oscar nominations with 13
LOS ANGELES – "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the Academy Awards with 13 nominations, including best picture, and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji Phenson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.
Other best picture nominees are "Frost/Nixon," "Milk,' "The Reader" and Slumdog Millionaire.
Heath Ledger has a supporting actor nomination for "The Dark Knight," but the Batman blockbuster has been shut out for other top categories, such as best picture and director.
More to follow...