The Academy To Honor Jonathan Erland With Bonner Medal


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Visual effects technologist Jonathan Erland has been voted the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The award – a medallion – will be presented at the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation on Saturday, February 11, at the Beverly Wilshire.

Erland began his professional training in the entertainment industry studying theater at the Central School in England and film at the London Film School. His knowledge of theater technology made him a desirable asset to the team building the audio-animatronic puppet theaters for the I.B.M. Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

After moving to Los Angeles, Erland maintained dual careers in both the entertainment and the industrial exhibit design fields. He joined the newly created Industrial Light & Magic to work on the visual effects for the 1977 film “Star Wars.” He continued in the burgeoning visual effects field as director of research and development for Apogee Productions, where he received patents for a reverse bluescreen traveling matte process, the Blue-Max flux projector and a method for making front projection screens. The innovations, along with the development of a digital traveling matte system, also earned Academy Scientific and Technical Awards.

In 2007 Erland received an Award of Commendation for “his leadership and efforts toward identifying and solving the problem of High-Speed Emulsion Stress Syndrome in motion picture film stock.”

An Academy member since 1984, Erland was instrumental in establishing Visual Effects as a separate Academy branch in 1995. He has served 11 years on the Academy’s Board of Governors and many years on the Executive Committees of both the Visual Effects Branch and the Scientific and Technical Awards. He also is a founding member of the Academy’s Science and Technology Council.

Named in honor of the late director of special projects at Warner Hollywood Studios, the John A. Bonner Medal is awarded for “outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”

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

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Documentar​y, Short Films Rules Approved for 85th Academy Awards

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved documentary and short films rules for the 85th Academy Awards at its most recent meeting (December 6). The most significant changes expand members’ opportunities to view contending films, enabling more members to participate in the Academy’s voting processes in the Documentary Feature, Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories.

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, filmmakers 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 digital or DVD screeners will now be an option for satisfying this requirement.

A documentary feature film’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, however, a review by a movie critic in The New York Times and/or the Los Angeles Times will also be required.

In the Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories, members will still have to see all the nominated films before casting their final ballots, but viewing the films on screeners will now be an option for satisfying this requirement. Films that are shown during their theatrical run in a non-standard format, such as IMAX, will have to be submitted to the Academy in a standard theatrical aspect ratio and in a format currently accepted for Academy exhibition to remain eligible. Producers may provide additional screenings of their films in non-standard formats, but members’ attendance at such screenings will not be required for voting purposes.

Other rules changes for the documentary and short films 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.

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 & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

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ALBERT NOBBS Among 7 Films To Move Forward In Best Makeup Oscar Race


Photo Credit: Patrick Redmond

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

  • “Albert Nobbs”
  • “Anonymous”
  • “The Artist”
  • “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life”
  • “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
  • “Hugo”
  • “The Iron Lady”

On Saturday, January 21, all members of the Academy’s Makeup Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three 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, 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 225 countries worldwide.

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Jennifer Lawrence To Announce Nominations For 84th Academy Awards


Photo: Darren Decker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and Academy member and Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence.

Sherak and Lawrence will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:30 a.m. PT news conference at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered. Nominations information for all categories will be distributed simultaneously to news media in attendance and via the Internet on the official Academy Awards website, www.oscar.com.

Last year, for the 83rd Academy Awards, Lawrence received a nomination for her lead performance in “Winter’s Bone.” She will be seen next in “The Hunger Games” and recently completed work on “The Silver Linings Playbook.” Lawrence’s other film credits include “The Burning Plain,” “Like Crazy,” “The Beaver” and “X-Men: First Class.”

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.

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1st Trailer For 84th Academy Awards Featuring Host Billy Crystal Is Here!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has produced its trailer for the 84th Academy Awards in conjunction with Funny Or Die. The trailer features host Billy Crystal and celebrity cameo appearances by Robin Williams, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, William Fichtner and Vinnie Jones.

“We wanted to try something a little bit different this year instead of a traditional, clip-based piece,” said Academy Chief Marketing Officer Christina Kounelias. “The trailer has a fun twist that conveys how excited everyone is to have Billy back.”

Crystal has one of the most distinguished track records of any host in Oscar® history. His upcoming appearance will mark his ninth turn hosting the Academy Awards. The enthusiastic response to the announcement of his return was the inspiration for the trailer.

“Our team had a great time working with the Academy and joining forces with Billy again,” said Mike Farah, Funny Or Die’s president of production. “We think the trailer really speaks to the excitement around this year’s Oscars®, and Funny Or Die was honored to be a part of it.”

The trailer will have a one-month run in more than 2,000 theaters beginning January 6 and can be viewed online at Oscars.org/trailer.

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

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ABOUT FUNNY OR DIE
Funny Or Die launched in April 2007 and has quickly become the top destination for comedy on the web. At the 2011 Webby Awards Funny Or Die won nine awards, including Best Humor Site.  The site has over 12 million unique users per month, over 60 million video views per month, and has grown into a vertically integrated 21st century digital studio that produces high quality content over numerous platforms, operating a social media and marketing division with over 2.5 million Twitter followers, approximately 3.4 million Facebook fans, and devoted followers on numerous social networking and sharing sites.   Funny Or Die has become the “place to be seen” for comedic celebrities, and the obvious destination for a daily comedy fix. Funny Or Die’s founders are Gary Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy), Sequoia and CAA. Judd Apatow is also a principal partner in Funny Or Die.

10 Films Remain In VFX Race For 84th Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The films 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 & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

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84th Academy Awards Poster Revealed


credit: ©A.M.P.A.S.®

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled the poster for the 84th Academy Awards®. The art features the iconic Oscar statuette alongside memorable images from eight films spanning eight decades: “Gone with the Wind” (1939), “Casablanca” (1943), “Giant” (1956), “The Sound of Music” (1965), “The Godfather” (1972), “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989), “Forrest Gump” (1994) and “Gladiator” (2000). All the films featured on the poster won the Academy Award® for Best Picture, except “Giant,” for which George Stevens won the Oscar for Directing.

Supported by the tagline “Celebrate the movies in all of us,” the design is meant to evoke the emotional connections we all have with the movies. “Whether it’s a first date or a holiday gathering with friends or family, movies are a big part of our memory,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “The Academy Awards not only honor the excellence of these movies, but also celebrate what they mean to us as a culture and to each of us individually.”

The public is encouraged to download the poster image to use as wallpaper and profile icons, and to share with friends. The image is available on the Academy’s website, www.oscars.org/poster.


credit: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

The artwork was created by award-winning graphic designer Anthony Goldschmidt, and Mark and Karen Crawford of the design firm Blood&Chocolate.

Posters will be available to theaters in the U.S. and internationally, along with a theatrical trailer, which will begin screening on January 6.

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

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 at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.


credit: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

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Oscar® Nomination Ballots Mailed to 5,783 Academy Voters


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Nomination ballots for the 84th Academy Awards® were mailed today to the 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, January 13, 2012. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.

Nomination and final Awards ballots are tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers to ensure that all aspects of the balloting process are conducted with fairness and accuracy.

Prior to mailing, the PricewaterhouseCoopers staff administers a thorough verification process to ensure that there are no duplicate ballots and that none are missing. In addition to being counted and sorted, the ballots are numbered to guarantee that each one is addressed to the appropriate Academy voter.

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.

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 225 countries worldwide.

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97 Original Scores in 2011 Oscar® Race Include HUGO, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, WINNIE THE POOH And EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that ninety-seven scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The eligible scores along with the composer are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:

“The Adjustment Bureau,” Thomas Newman, composer
“The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams, composer
“African Cats,” Nicholas Hooper, composer
“Albert Nobbs,” Brian Byrne, composer
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
“Anonymous,” Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser, composers
“Another Earth,” Phil Mossman and Will Bates, composers
“Answers to Nothing,” Craig Richey, composer
“Arthur Christmas,” Harry Gregson-Williams, composer
“The Artist,” Ludovic Bource, composer
“@urFRENZ,” Lisbeth Scott, composer
“Atlas Shrugged Part 1,” Elia Cmiral, composer
“Battle: Los Angeles,” Brian Tyler, composer
“Beastly,” Marcelo Zarvos, composer
“The Big Year,” Theodore Shapiro, composer
“Captain America: The First Avenger,” Alan Silvestri, composer
“Cars 2,” Michael Giacchino, composer
“Cedar Rapids,” Christophe Beck, composer
“Conan the Barbarian,” Tyler Bates, composer
“The Conspirator,” Mark Isham, composer
“Contagion,” Cliff Martinez, composer
“Coriolanus,” Ilan Eshkeri, composer
“DAM999,” Ousepachan, composer
“The Darkest Hour,” Tyler Bates, composer
“The Debt,” Thomas Newman, composer
“Dolphin Tale,” Mark Isham, composer
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, composers
“Dream House,” John Debney, composer
“The Eagle,” Atli Orvarsson, composer
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
“Fast Five,” Brian Tyler, composer
“The First Grader,” Alex Heffes, composer
“The Flowers of War,” Qigang Chen, composer
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composers
“The Greatest Miracle,” Mark McKenzie, composer
“Green Lantern,” James Newton Howard, composer
“Hanna,” Tom Rowlands, composer
“Happy Feet Two,” John Powell, composer
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
“The Help,” Thomas Newman, composer
“Hop,” Christopher Lennertz, composer
“Hugo,” Howard Shore, composer
“I Don’t Know How She Does It,” Aaron Zigman, composer
“The Ides of March,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
“Immortals,” Trevor Morris, composer
“In Search of God,” Rupam Sarmah, composer
“In the Land of Blood and Honey,” Gabriel Yared, composer
“In Time,” Craig Armstrong, composer
“Insidious,” Joseph Bishara, composer
“The Iron Lady,” Thomas Newman, composer
“J. Edgar,” Clint Eastwood, composer
“Jane Eyre,” Dario Marianelli, composer
“The Lady,” Eric Serra, composer
“Like Crazy,” Dustin O’Halloran, composer
“Margaret,” Nico Muhly, composer
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” Michael Giacchino, composer
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” Rolfe Kent, composer
“Moneyball,” Mychael Danna, composer
“Monte Carlo,” Michael Giacchino, composer
“New Year’s Eve,” John Debney, composer
“Norman,” Andrew Bird, composer
“One Day,” Rachel Portman, composer
“Puss in Boots,” Henry Jackman, composer
“Rampart,” Dickon Hinchliffe, composer
“Real Steel,” Danny Elfman, composer
“Rebirth,” Philip Glass, composer
“Red Riding Hood,” Alex Heffes and Brian Reitzell, composers
“Restless,” Danny Elfman, composer
“Rio,” John Powell, composer
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” Patrick Doyle, composer
“The Rite,” Alex Heffes, composer
“The Rum Diary,” Christopher Young, composer
“Sanctum,” David Hirschfelder, composer
“Sarah’s Key,” Max Richter, composer
“Senna,” Antonio Pinto, composer
“Shame,” Harry Escott, composer
“The Skin I Live In,” Alberto Iglesias, composer
“The Smurfs,” Heitor Pereira, composer
“Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,” Rachel Portman, composer
“Super 8,” Michael Giacchino, composer
“Take Shelter,” David Wingo, composer
“The Thing,” Marco Beltrami, composer
“Thor,” Patrick Doyle, composer
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias, composer
“Tower Heist,” Christophe Beck, composer
“W.E.,” Abel Korzeniowski, composer
“War Horse,” John Williams, composer
“Warrior,” Mark Isham, composer
“Water for Elephants,” James Newton Howard, composer
“The Way,” Tyler Bates, composer
“We Bought a Zoo,” Jon Thor Birgisson, composer
“We Need to Talk about Kevin,” Jonny Greenwood, composer
“Win Win,” Lyle Workman, composer
“Winnie the Pooh,” Henry Jackman, composer
“X-Men: First Class,” Henry Jackman, composer
“Young Adult,” Rolfe Kent, composer
“Your Highness,” Steve Jablonsky, composer

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

To be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must be written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer. Scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible.

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.

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 225 countries worldwide.

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265 Feature Films In Contention For 2011 Best Picture Oscar

Two hundred sixty-five feature films are eligible for the 2011 Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week. The list begins with ABDUCTION and ends with ZOOKEEPER.

To be eligible for 84th Academy Awards® consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category.

The “Reminder List of Productions Eligible for the 84th Academy Awards” is available at http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/reminderlist.html.

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.

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.