CHANGES THIS YEAR FOR TOMORROW'S 87TH OSCAR® NOMINATIONS

87TH OSCARS® NOMINATIONS TO BE ANNOUNCED

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015, 5:30 A.M.

SAMUEL GOLDWYN THEATER, BEVERLY HILLS

ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES

FOR THE FIRST TIME, ACADEMY TO ANNOUNCE LIVE OSCAR® NOMINATIONS
IN ALL 24 CATEGORIES 

NOMINATIONS TO BE DELIVERED IN NEW TWO-PART PRESENTATION

1

On January 15, 2015 at 5:30 a.m. PT,  Alfonso Cuarón  and 

and J.J. Abramswill announce the 

nominees in 11 categories:

Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature,

Documentary Short Subject, Film Editing, Original Song, 

Production Design, Animated Short Film, Live 

Action Short Film, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and 

Visual Effects. 

2

At 5:38 a.m, PT,

Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs,





and Chris Pine, will take the stage to unveil the 

nominations in 13 categories:


Best Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Costume 

Design, Directing, Foreign Language Film, Makeup and 

Hairstyling, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay,  

Original Screenplay and Best Picture. 

GLOBAL LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE AT - - oscars.org/live   

and a live feed is supposed to be here tomorrow:

ORIGINAL SONGS TUNE FOR OSCAR®

There are 75 songs in the race for a nomination in the Original Song category for the 86th Oscars®. All are from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2013. The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by song title and the film title:

     "Amen" from "All Is Lost"
     "Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone"
     "Doby" from "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues"
     "Last Mile Home" from "August: Osage County"
     "Austenland" from "Austenland"
     "Comic Books" from "Austenland"
     "L.O.V.E.D.A.R.C.Y" from "Austenland"
     "What Up" from "Austenland"
     "He Loves Me Still" from "Black Nativity"
     "Hush Child (Get You Through This Silent Night)" from "Black Nativity"
     "Test Of Faith" from "Black Nativity"
     "Forgiveness" from "Brave Miss World"
     "Lullaby Song" from "Cleaver's Destiny"
     "Shine Your Way" from "The Croods"
     "Happy" from "Despicable Me 2"
     "Gonna Be Alright" from "Epic"
     "Rise Up" from "Epic"
     "What Matters Most" from "Escape from Planet Earth"
     "Bones" from "For No Good Reason"
     "Going Nowhere" from "For No Good Reason"
     "Gonzo" from "For No Good Reason"
     "The Courage To Believe" from "Free China: The Courage to Believe"
     "Let It Go" from "Frozen"
     "100$ Bill" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "Over The Love" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "Together" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "Young and Beautiful" from "The Great Gatsby"
     "The Moon Song" from "Her"
     "I See Fire" from "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
     "Bite Of Our Lives" from "How Sweet It Is"
     "Try" from     "How Sweet It Is"
     "Atlas" from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
     "Better You, Better Me" from "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete"
     "Bring It On" from "Jewtopia"
     "Aygiri Nadani" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "Har Har Mahadeva" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "I Felt" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "Of The Soil" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "Sawariya" from "Kamasutra 3D"
     "In The Middle Of The Night" from "Lee Daniels' The Butler"
     "You And I Ain't Nothin' No More" from "Lee Daniels' The Butler"
     "Let's Take A Trip" from "Live at the Foxes Den"
     "Pour Me Another Dream" from "Live at the Foxes Den"
     "The Time Of My Life" from "Live at the Foxes Den"
     "Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"
     "Monsters University" from "Monsters University"
     "When The Darkness Comes" from "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"
     "Sacrifice (I Am Here)" from "Murph: The Protector"
     "The Muslims Are Coming" from "The Muslims Are Coming!"
     "Oblivion" from "Oblivion"
     "Sweeter Than Fiction" from "One Chance"
     "Nothing Can Stop Me Now" from "Planes"
     "We Both Know" from "Safe Haven"
     "Get Used To Me" from "The Sapphires"
     "Stay Alive" from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
     "So You Know What It's Like" from "Short Term 12"
     "There's No Black Or White" from "Somm"
     "Cut Me Some Slack" from "Sound City"
     "You Can't Fix This" from "Sound City"
     "Let It Go" from "Spark: A Burning Man Story"
     "We Ride" from "Spark: A Burning Man Story"
     "Becomes The Color" from "Stoker"
     "Younger Every Day" from "3 Geezers!"
     "Here It Comes" from "Trance"
     "Let The Bass Go" from "Turbo"
     "The Snail Is Fast" from "Turbo"
     "Speedin'" from "Turbo"
     "My Lord Sunshine (Sunrise)" from "12 Years a Slave"
     "Make It Love" from "Two: The Story of Roman & Nyro"
     "One Life" from "The Ultimate Life"
     "Unfinished Songs" from "Unfinished Song"
     "For The Time Being" from "The Way, Way Back"
     "Go Where The Love Is" from "The Way, Way Back"
     "Bleed For Love" from "Winnie Mandela"

During the nominations process, all voting members of the Music Branch will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips. Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category. The five receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominees for final voting in this award category. A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film.  A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

The 86th Academy Awards® nominations will be announced live, Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby 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 and territories worldwide.

ACADEMY EXTENDS OSCAR® NOMINATIONS VOTING

  HOURS AND DATES CHANGED

 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has extended the deadline for members to vote for Oscar nominations by one day to Friday, January 4, 2013, 5:00 p.m. PT.  Members may vote online or submit a paper ballot.  Any votes received after the deadline will not be counted.

 “By extending the voting deadline we are providing every opportunity available to make the transition to online balloting as smooth as possible,” said Ric Robertson, Academy COO.  “We’re grateful to our global membership for joining us in this process.”

  In order to accommodate the extension and maintain security, the online voting system will be closed for two hours only (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PT) on Thursday, January 3. The system will re-open at 7 p.m. PT, on January 3 and remain available to members until 5:00 p.m. PT January 4.

 This is the first year the Academy is providing its membership the opportunity to vote online. Several voting resources are available to members, including assisted voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, and a 24-hour support call center. 

 The nominations and final Awards ballots will be tabulated and verified by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to ensure that all aspects of the balloting process are accurate and secure. In the majority of the categories, PwC will tabulate the ballots using the preferential voting system.

 The 85th Academy Awards® nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

 Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood  & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. Seth McFarlane will host. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide. 

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GOLDEN GLOBE 2013 NOMINATIONS and SBIFF

Golden Globe nominations, and much more, courtesy of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's "film geek Confidential" blog:

http://www.sbiff.org/blog2/

 The Golden Globes ceremony, the 70th in the history of the awards show, will be held on Sunday, January 13, 2013. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will co-host. The Golden Globes awards are brought to you by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), and broadcast on MSN.

 

The 28th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will be held in Santa Barbara, California, from January 24th to February 3rd. Passes and tickets are now on sale. SBIFF takes place among the beautiful California coastal area that is considered the American Riviera™ I have been there many times and it is one of my favorite film festivals. Official Website

To All my Readers:

and

Mimi

Twitter:
@MimiattheMovies 

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MimiattheMovies?ref=hl

#

ACADEMY MEMBERS SELECTING NOMINEES FOR OSCAR®

Nominations voting for the 85th Academy Awards® opened at 8 a.m. PT, Monday, December 17, for the 5,856 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Members will have until 5 p.m. PT, Thursday, January 3, 2013, to vote electronically. Paper ballots must be received at the Academy prior to the above deadline. Any paper ballots received after the deadline will not be counted. Nominations and final Awards ballots will be tabulated and verified by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to ensure that all aspects of the balloting process are accurate and secure.

This will be the first year the Academy is providing its membership the opportunity to vote electronically. Several voting resources will be available to members, including assisted voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, and a 24-hour support call center during voting periods.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Comedian, writer, producer Seth MacFarlane is this year’s host of the 85th Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012. Awards will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby 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.

OPTIONS FOR OSCAR® VOTING - A DEADLINE EXTENDED

NEW PROCEDURES FOR OSCAR® VOTING - A DEADLINE EXTENDED

This year, for the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® will provide its membership the opportunity to vote electronically. Several voting resources will be available to members during the transition, including assisted voting stations in Los Angeles, New York and London, and a 24-hour support call center during voting periods.

The voting period for nominations begins on Monday, December 17 and closes Thursday, January 3. Members must either register to vote electronically or request a paper ballot.

The original deadline for requesting a paper ballot was November 30. The Academy announced this past week that the deadline for requesting a paper ballot has been extended to Friday, December 14. Those who have not yet registered to vote online may still register to vote online through Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

This is being done to ensure that all Academy members fully understand all the voting options that are available to them this year. The Academy reports that the majority of the 6000 plus Academy members have already registered to vote online in the 85th Academy Awards® Race.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013.

The broadcast originates live from the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood and Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Record Number Vie for 2012 Foreign Language Oscar®

A record 71 countries, including first-time entrant Kenya, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Motion Picture category for the 85th Academy Awards®.

The 2012 submissions, with director(s) are:

Afghanistan, The Patience Stone, Atiq Rahimi;
Albania, Pharmakon, Joni Shanaj;
Algeria, Zabana!, Said Ould Khelifa;
Argentina, Clandestine Childhood, Benjamín Ávila;
Armenia, If Only Everyone, Natalia Belyauskene;
*Australia, Lore, Cate Shortland;
*Austria, Amour, Michael Haneke;
Azerbaijan, Buta, Ilgar Najaf;
Bangladesh, Pleasure Boy Komola, Humayun Ahmed;
Belgium, Our Children, Joachim Lafosse;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Children of Sarajevo, Aida Begic;
Brazil, The Clown, Selton Mello;
Bulgaria, Sneakers, Valeri Yordanov and Ivan Vladimirov;
Cambodia, Lost Loves, Chhay Bora;
*Canada, War Witch, Kim Nguyen;
*Chile, No, Pablo Larraín;
China, Caught in the Web, Chen Kaige;
Colombia, The Snitch Cartel, Carlos Moreno;
Croatia, Vegetarian Cannibal, Branko Schmidt;
Czech Republic, In the Shadow, David Ondrícek;
*Denmark, A Royal Affair, Nikolaj Arcel, director;
Dominican Republic, Jaque Mate, José María Cabral;
Estonia, Mushrooming, Toomas Hussar;
Finland, Purge, Antti J. Jokinen;
*France, The Intouchables, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano;
Georgia, Keep Smiling, Rusudan Chkonia;
Germany, Barbara, Christian Petzold;
Greece, Unfair World, Filippos Tsitos;
Greenland, Inuk, Mike Magidson;
Hong Kong, Life without Principle, Johnnie To;
Hungary, Just the Wind, Bence Fliegauf;
Iceland, The Deep, Baltasar Kormákur;
India, Barfi!, Anurag Basu;
Indonesia, The Dancer, Ifa Isfansyah;
*Israel, Fill the Void, Rama Burshtein;
*Italy, Caesar Must Die, Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani;
Japan, Our Homeland, Yang Yonghi;
Kazakhstan, Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe, Akan Satayev;
Kenya, Nairobi Half Life, David 'Tosh' Gitonga;
Kyrgyzstan, The Empty Home, Nurbek Egen;
Latvia, Gulf Stream under the Iceberg, Yevgeny Pashkevich;
Lithuania, Ramin, Audrius Stonys;
Macedonia, The Third Half, Darko Mitrevski;
Malaysia, Bunohan, Dain Iskandar Said;
Mexico, After Lucia, Michel Franco;
Morocco, Death for Sale, Faouzi Bensaïdi;
Netherlands, Kauwboy, Boudewijn Kooler;
*Norway, Kon-Tiki, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg;
Palestine, When I Saw You, Annemarie Jacir;
Peru, The Bad Intentions, Rosario García-Montero;
Philippines, Bwakaw, Jun Robles Lana;
Poland, 80 Million, Waldemar Krzystek;
*Portugal, Blood of My Blood, João Canijo;
*Romania, Beyond the Hills, Cristian Mungiu;
Russia, White Tiger, Karen Shakhnazarov;
Serbia, When Day Breaks, Goran Paskaljevic;
Singapore, Already Famous, Michelle Chong;
Slovak Republic, Made in Ash, Iveta Grófová;
Slovenia, A Trip, Nejc Gazvoda;
South Africa, Little One, Darrell James Roodt;
South Korea, Pieta, Kim Ki-duk;
*Spain, Blancanieves (Snow White), Pablo Berger;
*Sweden, The Hypnotist, Lasse Hallström;
*Switzerland, Sister, Ursula Meier;
Taiwan, Touch of the Light, Chang Jung-Chi;
Thailand, Headshot, Pen-ek Ratanaruang;
Turkey, Where the Fire Burns, Ismail Gunes;
Ukraine, The Firecrosser, Mykhailo Illienko;
Uruguay, The Delay, Rodrigo Plá;
Venezuela, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Hernán Jabes;
Vietnam, The Scent of Burning Grass, Nguyen Huu Muoi.

*Mimi follows.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire Boulevard.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at The Dolby 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.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Academy

Oscar Nominations for Best Foreign Language and Short Docs

Spain submits Agusti Villaronga's Black Bread for Oscar Consideration

1. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 84th Academy Awards has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 35 eligible entries and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for tabulation. The eight films are listed below in alphabetical order by title:

        The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement;

        God Is the Bigger Elvis;

        In Tahrir Square: 18 Days of Egypt's Unfinished Revolution;

        Incident in New Baghdad;

        Pipe Dreams;

        Saving Face;

        The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom;

        Witness.

2. Sixty-three countries, including first-time entrant New Zealand, have submitted feature films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards. More will be written about some of the submissions, but here's the list in alphabetical order by country with director:

Albania, Amnesty, Bujar Alimani;

Argentina, Aballay, Fernando Spiner;

Austria, Breathing, Karl Markovics;

Belgium, Bullhead, Michael R. Roskam;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belvedere, Ahmed Imamovic;

Brazil, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, José Padilha;

Bulgaria, Tilt, Viktor Chouchkov, Jr;

Canada, Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau;

Chile, Violeta Went to Heaven, Andrés Wood;

*China, The Flowers of War, Zhang Yimou;

Colombia, The Colors of the Mountain, Carlos César Arbeláez;

Croatia, 72 Days, Danilo Serbedzija;

Cuba, Havanastation, Ian Padrón;

Czech Republic, Alois Nebel, Tomás Lunák;

Denmark, Superclásico, Ole Christian Madsen;

Dominican Republic, Love Child, Leticia Tonos;

Egypt, Lust, Khaled el Hagar;

Estonia, Letters to Angel, Sulev Keedus;

Finland, Le Havre, Aki Kaurismäki;

France, Declaration of War, Valérie Donzelli;

Georgia, Chantrapas, Otar Iosseliani;

*Germany, Pina, Wim Wenders;

Greece, Attenberg, Athina Rachel Tsangari;

Hong Kong, A Simple Life, Ann Hui;

Hungary, The Turin Horse, Béela Tarr;

Iceland, Volcano, Rúnar Rúnarsson;

India, Abu, Son of Adam, Salim Ahamed;

Indonesia, Under the Protection of Ka'Bah, Hanny R. Saputra;

*Iran, A Separation, Asghar Farhadi;

Ireland, As If I Am Not There, Juanita Wilson;

Israel, Footnote, Joseph Cedar;

Italy, Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese;

Japan, Postcard, Kaneto Shindo;

Kazakhstan, Returning to the ‘A’, Egor Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky;

*Lebanon, Where Do We Go Now? Nadine Labaki;

Lithuania, Back to Your Arms, Kristijonas Vildziunas;

Macedonia, Punk Is Not Dead, Vladimir Blazevski;

Mexico, Miss Bala, Gerardo Naranjo;

Morocco, Omar Killed Me, Roschdy Zem;

Netherlands, Sonny Boy, Maria Peters;

New Zealand, The Orator, Tusi Tamasese;

Norway, Happy, Happy, Anne Sewitsky;

Peru, October, Diego Vega and Daniel Vega;

Philippines, The Woman in the Septic Tank, Marlon N. Rivera;

Poland, In Darkness, Agnieszka Holland;

Portugal, José and Pilar, Miguel Gonçalves Mendes;

Romania, Morgen, Marian Crisan;

Russia, Burnt by the Sun 2: The Citadel, Nikita Mikhalkov***;

Serbia, Montevideo: Taste of a Dream, Dragan Bjelogrlić;

Singapore, Tatsumi, Eric Khoo;

Slovak Republic, Gypsy, Martin Sulík;

South Africa, Beauty, Oliver Hermanus;

South Korea, The Front Line, Jang Hun;

Spain, Black Bread, Agusti Villaronga*;

Sweden, Beyond, Pernilla August;

Switzerland, Summer Games, Rolando Colla;

*Taiwan, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Wei Te-sheng;

Thailand, Kon Khon, Sarunyu Wongkrachang;

*Turkey, Once upon a Time in Anatolia, Nuri Bilge Ceylan;

United Kingdom, Patagonia, Marc Evans;

Uruguay, The Silent House, Gustavo Hernández;

Venezuela, Rumble of the Stones, Alejandro Bellame Palacios;

Vietnam, The Prince and the Pagoda Boy, Luu Trong Ninh.

* Directors Mimi follows.

*** According to the IMBd there is a controversy in Russia about this movie being selected by Russia as the official entry:  "A move is underway in Russia to overhaul the committee that nominates the film to represent the country in the best foreign language competition at the annual Oscar race. It follows widespread controversy over the selection of Nikita Mikhalkov’s Burnt by the Sun: The Citadel, as this year’s entry despite the fact that the film received a drubbing from critics and flopped at the box office. Daily Variety reported today (Monday) that a new union of filmmakers, Kino Soyuz, is lobbying for a transparent nomination process from a committee drawn from the ranks of previous Oscar nominees or winners. Several Russian critics have noted that Mikhalkov has close ties to the country’s power elite and is a close friend of Vladimir Putin. Russia’s Moskovskiye Novosti newspaper described the selection of Citadel for the Oscar competition as a triumph of 'cronyism' over,'common sense'.”

There is a link with this list on the right sidebar of this blog and it will remain there until about October next year. The nomination ballots are now at PwC to be tabulated. 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 in Beverly Hills. Actress Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) will assist the Academy President.

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

See previous post below for other happenings at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

New Rules for Docs and Short Films Approved by Academy Board

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved documentary and short film rules for the 85th Academy Awards in 2013 at its most recent meeting on December 6, 2011.
 
The purpose of the new rules is to offer members more opportunities to view the films vying for an Oscar nomination, and/or win. Thus, more members will be able to vote in the categories of Documentary Feature, Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film.
 
However, now that all motion pictures from now on will be made using digital photography, the designation of a Documentary Feature, and an animated or live-action short, really should not be "film." Film is the out-dated process. Now, digital photography is the process, but a motion picture is still the product, as well as the medium of motion picture communication.

In the Documentary Feature category, the entire Documentary Branch will now receive all eligible titles beginning in the first round of voting. To facilitate this change, producers must submit 200 DVDs, an increase from the 30 that had been required in previous years. In the final round of voting in this category, members must still see all the nominated films, but the viewing of films on a digital screener will now be an option for satisfying this requirement.
 
A documentary feature's eligibility will continue to depend on completing seven-day qualifying runs in both New York and Los Angeles that are advertised in at least one major newspaper, as specified by Academy rules, in each city.
For the 85th Academy Awards in 2013, however, a review by a movie critic in The New York Times and/or the Los Angeles Times will also be required. The Academy specifically specified implementation of this rule for the 85th Academy Awards in 2013. Does this leave open a door to review this controversial rule for a published review before 2014?

As with the final voting for the best documentary feature, members will still be required to see all the motion pictures in the Animated Short and Live Action Short categories before voting for a winner, but viewing them on a digital screener will now be an option for satisfying this requirement as well.

When it comes to non-standard format, such as IMAX, the producers must submit the motion picture to the Academy in a standard theatrical aspect ratio and in a format currently accepted for Academy exhibition to remain eligible. They may provide additional screenings in non-standard formats, but members’ attendance at such screenings will not be required for voting purposes. The Academy only mentioned IMAX, so does this rule apply to RealD 3D, and Dolby 3D as well? Confused?See Article.
 
Other rule changes for the documentary and short motion picture categories include normal date changes and minor "housekeeping" changes. Rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Board of Governors for approval.

Writers Guild Oscar Nominations, and Short List for Visual Effects

Download this official poster in many sizes for free!
 

Interesting that The Tree of Life is on the current visual effects list and not on the Writers Guilds' list. Here are the nominees from the Writers Guild:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50, written by Will Reiser;

Bridesmaids, written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig; 

Midnight in Paris, written by Woody Allen;
Win Win, screenplay by Tom McCarthy; story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni;
Young Adult, written by Diablo Cody.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants, screenplay by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash; based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming;
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, screenplay by Steven Zaillian; based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts;
The Help, screenplay by Tate Taylor; based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett;
Hugo, screenplay by John Logan; based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick;
Moneyball, screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; based on the book by Michael Lewis.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Better This World, written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega;
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek;
Nostalgia for the Light, written by Patricio Guzmán;
Pina, screenplay by Wim Wenders;
Position Among the Stars, script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich;
Senna, written by Manish Pandey.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are now 10 motion pictures are on the short list in the 84th Academy Awards Visual Effects (VFX) category awaiting a possible Oscar nomination. They are listed below in alphabetical order:

    Captain America: The First Avenger

    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

    Hugo

    Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

    Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

    Real Steel

    Rise of the Planet of the Apes

    Transformers: Dark of the Moon

    The Tree of Life

    X-Men: First Class

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Thursday, January 19. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 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 Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

‘The Artist’ tops 69th Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globe nominations were announced the middle of last week. In the race for best motion picture The Artist, a silent black-and-white movie about an actor at the time of the transition to talkies, led the pack with six Golden Globe nominations. It is nominated for best picture in the musical or comedy category.

 

George Clooney's two movies each received a nod for best picture, drama. The Descendants seems to be favored over The Ides of March. The former received five nominations, including best feature movie in the drama category, and a best actor nomination for Clooney.

But Ides of March was not slighted by the HFPA. Clooney, Heslov, and Beau Willimon are nominated for best screenplay and Clooney has a best director nomination.

Not nominated? The Tree of Life. Not enough "T and A" in the movie, perhaps, or was the Cannes winner's Transcendental premise over their heads? There is more about the actual nominations but, first, a digression.

I caution you, dear reader, to be aware where the Oscar race is concerned that the Golden Globe Awards are sponsored and the recipients chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). That is the association of credentialed reporters, etc., from outside the USA, who follow and report on the American entertainment industry. Some live here, some don't. The Globes give awards to both the movie and television industries.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the sponsor of the Academy Awards (Oscars). The membership of the Academy (AMPAS) consists of people who work in the movie industry, and who are card caring members of an industry guild. Every member must be invited to join. Only members of the Academy can nominate and vote, and awards are only given to the motion picture industry.

I know some people still call these awards, and festivals, "film," but it is a misnomer now because movies are not photographed on film and projectors don't project film, they are all digital in the USA. So, now we should call them the best picture, best motion picture, best movie, best feature, best short motion picture, etc. Technically there is no longer a best film in any category.

Besides, when I was in cinema school, I was taught that film is the medium whereby motion pictures, sometimes called by their shortened slang name, movies, are made. Motion Pictures are the products, one product medium that comprises The Media. Get the picture? If so, enjoy the motion picture festivals and watch lots of movies at your local picture show, as they were originall called. Of course today they are shown in a movie theater, or cinema!

But, quick, amend that. We don't even need to go out to see a movie anymore. We can get it on demand from a provider server There's TV, cable, satellite, or watch it on our computer. On demand, when we want it. Wow! The method of delivering  movies has come a long way, indeed.

Many critics and writers will indicate that the Globe winners predict the Oscars. They do not. What they do is bring the movies before the general public, and probably do cause some Academy members to consider, or reconsider, some movie they have either previously overlooked or dismissed.

For instance, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last chose the same best picture in 2009, when director Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire won both.  I picked that movie for best picture in October when it won best picture at the Toronto Festival. After I saw it, I knew I had made the best choice.

Not only do the Globes honor television shows and actors, but they have two categories for best picture: musical or comedy, and drama, as well as the same two categories for best and supporting actors and actresses. The Academy makes the same distinction for actors and actresses, but there is only one best picture, and comedy usually gets the short piece of the wishbone when it comes to the Academy Awards.

The 69th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony will be held Sunday, January 15th, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, and broadcast live on NBC. Ricky Gervaise will host them again this year.

The Oscar nominations will be announced January 24th at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,  Beverly Hills.The 84th Academy Awards gala will be broadcast by ABC February 26th, and Billy Crystal will host.

NOMINATIONS FOR BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

The Descendants, starring George Clooney.
The Ides of March - George Clooney wrote, directed and stars in the Ides of March. To me, it is basically Clooney's take on politics. Of course, it is a liberal-progressive one, so I like that. Tagline: An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.

 The Help, received nine nominations. Three actresses in the movie were nominated, but not Emma Stone who played Skeeter. These were: Viola Davis (Aibileen) for best actress, Jessica Chastain (Celia) and Octavia Spencer (Minny) for an actress in a supporting role. 


Hugo (Paramount), Martin Scorsese's animated movie is not nominated in the animation category, but for best motion picture. The other Paramount animated movie, Rango, is nominated in the animation category.

 Moneyball, an excellent baseball movie starring Brad Pitt, and costarring Jonah Hill, is for those who love the allure of baseball statistics, and a baseball movie that is all heart, at the same time. Pitt received a best actor nomination for his role as real-life manager Billy Beane, but Jonah Hill did not receive a best-supporting nod.

 War Horse, the latest horse opera. This one is set in World War One, and is directed by Steven Spielberg. Take Kleenex.

Click the title of this post to see the full list of nominations, and much more, on the HFPA's Official Site. Please come back here after the first of the year for some more unique takes on the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.