88th Academy Awards Nominations – THE REVENANT, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Lead The Oscars 2016 Field

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The 2016 Oscar nominations are in. “We All Dream In Gold” was the phrase of the morning when Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee announced the 88th Academy Awards nominations.

WAMG was at the live news conference inside the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater along with 400 international media representatives.

THE REVENANT received the most nominations Thursday morning with twelve, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD saw eleven, followed by THE MARTIAN with seven.

Seeing six nominations apiece were BRIDGE OF SPIES, CAROL and SPOTLIGHT. Rounding out the multiple nods were THE BIG SHORT and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS with five bids.

The buzz heard throughout the theater went to the much deserved nod for Sylvester Stallone (CREED) who is nominated for playing Rocky Balboa 40 years after his first nomination in 1976 for playing the same character, Charlotte Rampling with her Best Actress Nomination (45 YEARS) and every time MAD MAX: FURY ROAD was mentioned.

Vying for the big prize for Best Picture are:

  • “The Big Short” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
  • “Bridge of Spies” Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
  • “Brooklyn” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
  • “The Martian” Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
  • “The Revenant” Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
  • “Room” Ed Guiney, Producer
  • “Spotlight” Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers

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Del Toro and Lee announced the nominees in 11 categories at 5:30 a.m. PT, followed by Boone Isaacs and Krasinski for the remaining 13 categories at 5:38 a.m. PT.

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees.

All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

THE MARTIAN
THE MARTIAN

Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members on Saturday, January 23, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Screenings also will be held at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote for the winners in all 24 categories.

Nominations for the 88th Academy Awards:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

  • Bryan Cranston in “Trumbo”
  • Matt Damon in “The Martian”
  • Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant”
  • Michael Fassbender in “Steve Jobs”
  • Eddie Redmayne in “The Danish Girl”

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

  • Christian Bale in “The Big Short”
  • Tom Hardy in “The Revenant”
  • Mark Ruffalo in “Spotlight”
  • Mark Rylance in “Bridge of Spies”
  • Sylvester Stallone in “Creed”

Performance by an actress in a leading role

  • Cate Blanchett in “Carol”
  • Brie Larson in “Room”
  • Jennifer Lawrence in “Joy”
  • Charlotte Rampling in “45 Years”
  • Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

  • Jennifer Jason Leigh in “The Hateful Eight”
  • Rooney Mara in “Carol”
  • Rachel McAdams in “Spotlight”
  • Alicia Vikander in “The Danish Girl”
  • Kate Winslet in “Steve Jobs”

Best animated feature film of the year

  • “Anomalisa” Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran
  • “Boy and the World” Alê Abreu
  • “Inside Out” Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
  • “Shaun the Sheep Movie” Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
  • “When Marnie Was There” Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura

Achievement in cinematography

  • “Carol” Ed Lachman
  • “The Hateful Eight” Robert Richardson
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” John Seale
  • “The Revenant” Emmanuel Lubezki
  • “Sicario” Roger Deakins
THE REVENANT
THE REVENANT

Achievement in costume design

  • “Carol” Sandy Powell
  • “Cinderella” Sandy Powell
  • “The Danish Girl” Paco Delgado
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Jenny Beavan
  • “The Revenant” Jacqueline West

Achievement in directing

  • “The Big Short” Adam McKay
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” George Miller
  • “The Revenant” Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Won last year for BIRDMAN. The last back-to-back Oscar win for director was in 1950.)
  • “Room” Lenny Abrahamson
  • “Spotlight” Tom McCarthy
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Best documentary feature

  • “Amy” Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
  • “Cartel Land” Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
  • “The Look of Silence” Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
  • “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
  • “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor

Best documentary short subject

  • “Body Team 12” David Darg and Bryn Mooser
  • “Chau, beyond the Lines” Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
  • “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah” Adam Benzine
  • “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
  • “Last Day of Freedom” Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman

Achievement in film editing

  • “The Big Short” Hank Corwin
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Margaret Sixel
  • “The Revenant” Stephen Mirrione
  • “Spotlight” Tom McArdle
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

Best foreign language film of the year

  • “Embrace of the Serpent” Colombia
  • “Mustang” France
  • “Son of Saul” Hungary
  • “Theeb” Jordan
  • “A War” Denmark

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
  • “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared” Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
  • “The Revenant” Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

  • “Bridge of Spies” Thomas Newman
  • “Carol” Carter Burwell
  • “The Hateful Eight” Ennio Morricone
  • “Sicario” Jóhann Jóhannsson
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” John Williams

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

  • “Earned It” from “Fifty Shades of Grey”
    Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
  • “Manta Ray” from “Racing Extinction”
    Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
  • “Simple Song #3” from “Youth”
    Music and Lyric by David Lang
  • “Til It Happens To You” from “The Hunting Ground”
    Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
  • “Writing’s On The Wall” from “Spectre”
    Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith
BRIDGE OF SPIES
BRIDGE OF SPIES

Achievement in production design

  • “Bridge of Spies” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
  • “The Danish Girl” Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
  • “The Martian” Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
  • “The Revenant” Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy

Best animated short film

  • “Bear Story” Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
  • “Prologue” Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
  • “Sanjay’s Super Team” Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
  • “We Can’t Live without Cosmos” Konstantin Bronzit
  • “World of Tomorrow Don Hertzfeldt

Best live action short film

  • “Ave Maria” Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
  • “Day One” Henry Hughes
  • “Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)” Patrick Vollrath
  • “Shok” Jamie Donoughue
  • “Stutterer” Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage

Achievement in sound editing

  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Mark Mangini and David White
  • “The Martian” Oliver Tarney
  • “The Revenant” Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
  • “Sicario” Alan Robert Murray
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Matthew Wood and David Acord

Achievement in sound mixing

  • “Bridge of Spies” Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
  • “The Martian” Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
  • “The Revenant” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson

Achievement in visual effects

  • “Ex Machina” Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
  • “Mad Max: Fury Road” Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
  • “The Martian” Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
  • “The Revenant” Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
  • “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould

Adapted screenplay

  • “The Big Short” Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
  • “Brooklyn” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
  • “Carol” Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
  • “The Martian” Screenplay by Drew Goddard
  • “Room” Screenplay by Emma Donoghue

Original screenplay

  • “Bridge of Spies” Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
  • “Ex Machina” Written by Alex Garland
  • “Inside Out” Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
  • “Spotlight” Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
  • “Straight Outta Compton” Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Facts provided by AMPAS:

In 2011, the balloting rules first allowed for the possibility of between five and ten nominees for Best Picture. For the first three years, there were nine nominees. For the past two years, there have been eight.

Steven Spielberg has set the record for the most Best Picture nominations for an individual producer with nine.

In the Acting categories, eight individuals are first-time nominees (Bryan Cranston, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rachel McAdams and Alicia Vikander). Five of the nominees are previous Acting winners (Eddie Redmayne, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet). At age 25, Jennifer Lawrence is the youngest four-time Acting nominee.

Sylvester Stallone, who received his first Acting nomination in 1976 for Rocky, is the sixth person nominated for playing the same role in two different films. He follows Bing Crosby as Father O’Malley in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945); Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986); Peter O’Toole as Henry II in Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968); Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974); and Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Of these, only Bing Crosby and Paul Newman won Oscars (in 1944 and 1986, respectively).

Roger Deakins has the most nominations for Cinematography of any living person with 13. Charles B. Lang, Jr. and Leon Shamroy share the all-time record with 18 nominations each.

Sandy Powell now has the most nominations for Costume Design of any living person with 12. The overall record in the category belongs to Edith Head with 35 nominations.

John Williams extends his record number of music scoring nominations with 45. His overall total of 50 nominations (including five for Original Song) increases his record for the most Academy Award nominations of any living person (the only person with more is Walt Disney at 59). Thomas Newman’s nomination for Original Score for Bridge of Spies is his 13th and brings the total for members of the Newman family (Alfred, Lionel, Emil, Thomas, David and Randy) to 89, more than any other family.

The Original Song nomination for “Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction is the fifth for a song from a documentary. Previous nominations were for “More” from Mondo Cane (1963); “I Need To Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth, which won an Oscar in 2006; “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice (2012), also written by this year’s nominee J. Ralph; and “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me (2014).

With his two nominations for Sound Mixing (for Bridge of Spies and Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Andy Nelson has tied Kevin O’Connell’s record for the most individual nominations in the category with 20.

Inside Out is the ninth animated feature to receive a Writing nomination. To date, none has won. With his fourth Writing nomination this year, Pete Docter has tied Andrew Stanton for the most writing nominations for animated films.

Watch the 88th Academy Awards LIVE on Sunday, Feb. 28 on ABC with host Chris Rock.

Visit oscar.go.com/nominees for more on today’s nominees.

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

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Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski And Ang Lee Will Announce 88th Oscar Nominations This Thursday

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Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee will announce the 88th Academy Awards nominations in all 24 Oscar categories at a special two-part live news conference on Thursday, January 14, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

WAMG will again be there for the announcement and will be reporting from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

At 5:30 a.m. PT, del Toro and Lee will announce the nominees in the following categories: Animated Feature Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Song, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

At 5:38 a.m. PT, Krasinski and Boone Isaacs will take the stage to unveil the nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Directing, Film Editing, Foreign Language Film, Original Score, Best Picture, Production Design, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay and Original Screenplay.

The Nominations Announcement is a live news conference where more than 400 media representatives from around the world will be gathered. The event will be broadcast and streamed live on www.oscars.org/live.

The 88th Oscar Nominations Announcement will be streamed live on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/Oscars.

Nominations information for all categories will be distributed simultaneously to news media in attendance and via the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.

A director, writer and producer, del Toro may be best known for “The Devil’s Backbone,” the “Hellboy” films, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay, and “Crimson Peak.” He also is the creator of the television series “The Strain.”

Krasinski’s role in the Emmy®-winning series “The Office” catapulted him into the public eye in 2005. His feature credits include Paramount’s “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” and “Promised Land,” which he also co-wrote and produced. He directed and stars in “The Hollars,” premiering at Sundance this month.

Lee, a two-time Oscar winner, directed and produced the 2000 Best Foreign Language Film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and earned Directing Oscars for “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi.” His latest film, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” is currently in post-production.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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86th Oscars, Arrivals

SHAUN THE SHEEP Movie “Feels Like Summer,” YOUTH’s “Simple Song #3,” SPECTRE’s “Writing’s On The Wall” Among 74 Songs Eligible For 88th Oscar

87th Academy Awards, Oscars, Backstage

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 74 songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 88th Academy Awards.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

“Happy” from “Altered Minds”
“Home” from “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip”
“None Of Them Are You” from “Anomalisa”
“Stem To The Rose” from “Becoming Bulletproof”
“The Mystery Of Your Gift” from “Boychoir”
“I Run” from “Chi-Raq”
“Pray 4 My City” from “Chi-Raq”
“Sit Down For This” from “Chi-Raq”
“Strong” from “Cinderella”
“So Long” from “Concussion”
“Fighting Stronger” from “Creed”
“Grip” from “Creed”
“Waiting For My Moment” from “Creed”
“Don’t Look Down” from “Danny Collins”
“Hey Baby Doll” from “Danny Collins”
“Dreamsong” from “The Diary of a Teenage Girl”
“It’s My Turn Now” from “Dope”
“Ya Rahem, Maula Maula” from “Dukhtar”
“Earned It” from “Fifty Shades of Grey”
“Love Me Like You Do” from “Fifty Shades of Grey”
“Salted Wound” from “Fifty Shades of Grey”
“Hands Of Love” from “Freeheld”
“See You Again” from “Furious Seven”
“Brother” from “Godspeed: The Story of Page Jones”
“As Real As You And Me” from “Home”
“Dancing In The Dark” from “Home”
“Feel The Light” from “Home”
“Red Balloon” from “Home”
“Two Of A Crime” from “Hot Pursuit”
“Til It Happens To You” from “The Hunting Ground”
“I’ll See You In My Dreams” from “I’ll See You in My Dreams”
“The Movie About Us” from “Ingrid Bergman – In Her Own Words”
“Bhoomiyilenghanumundo” from “Jalam”
“Koodu Vaykkan” from “Jalam”
“Pakalppaathi Chaari” from “Jalam”
“Yaathra Manoradhamerum” from “Jalam”
“Lost In Love” from “Jenny’s Wedding”
“True Love Avenue” from “Jenny’s Wedding”
“Hypnosis” from “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet”
“Juntos (Together)” from “McFarland, USA”
“The Light That Never Fails” from “Meru”
“The Crazy Ones” from “Miss You Already”
“There’s A Place” from “Miss You Already”
“Johanna” from “Mortdecai”
“Little Soldier” from “Pan”
“Something’s Not Right” from “Pan”
“Paranoid Girl” from “Paranoid Girls”
“Better When I’m Dancin'” from “The Peanuts Movie”
“Pink & Blue” from “Pink & Blue: Colors of Hereditary Cancer”
“Flashlight” from “Pitch Perfect 2”
“Birds Of A Feather” from “Poached”
“Still Breathing” from “Point Break”
“Manta Ray” from “Racing Extinction”
“Cold One” from “Ricki and the Flash”
“Torch” from “Rock the Kasbah”
“Someone Like You” from “The Rumperbutts”
“Aankhon Me Samaye Dil” from “Salt Bridge”
“Bachpana Thaa” from “Salt Bridge”
“Kanpne Lage Tum” from “Salt Bridge”
“Kyaa Bataaun Tujhe” from “Salt Bridge”
“Le Jaaye Jo Door Tumse” from “Salt Bridge”
“Na Jaane Kitni Door” from “Salt Bridge”
“Sookha Hi Rang Daalo” from “Salt Bridge”
“Feels Like Summer” from “Shaun the Sheep Movie”
“Phenomenal” from “Southpaw”
“Writing’s On The Wall” from “Spectre”
“Squeeze Me” from “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water”
“Teamwork” from “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water”
“Who Can You Trust” from “Spy”
“Came To Win” from “Sweet Micky for President”
“Mean Ol’ Moon” from “Ted 2”
“Love Was My Alibi” from “The Water Diviner”
“Fine On The Outside” from “When Marnie Was There”
“Simple Song #3” from “Youth”

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 achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award. 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 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

It’s Official – Chris Rock To Host 88th Academy Awards

Chris Rock / 77th Academy Awards (ABC/BOB D'AMICO)
Chris Rock / 77th Academy Awards (ABC/BOB D’AMICO)

This just in from The Academy:

Multi-hyphenate artist and filmmaker Chris Rock will return to host the Oscars for a second time, producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today. The 88th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on Oscar Sunday, February 28, 2016, on the ABC Television Network.  Rock previously hosted the 77th Oscars telecast in 2005.

“Chris Rock is truly the MVP of the entertainment industry,” said Hill and Hudlin. “Comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, documentarian – he’s done it all.  He’s going to be a phenomenal Oscar host!”

“I’m so glad to be hosting the Oscars,” said Rock. “It’s great to be back.”

“We share David and Reggie’s excitement in welcoming Chris, whose comedic voice has really defined a generation,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.  “He is certain to bring his amazing array of talents to this year’s show.”

“Chris may be best known as a stand-up comic, but we think of him as a creative innovator in many other ways. He is unafraid in his artistry,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.  “We couldn’t be happier to welcome him back to the Oscars.”

“Chris Rock is a comedic powerhouse who will bring tremendous energy to the event, and we’re honored to have him,” said Paul Lee, President ABC Entertainment Group.

With a career spanning more than three decades, Rock most recently directed the comedy special “Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo,” which premiered this month on HBO.  In 2014 he wrote, directed and starred in the critically acclaimed feature “Top Five,” and in 2009 ventured into the documentary world as a writer, producer and star of “Good Hair.”

Rock has enjoyed ongoing success in both film and television as a comedian, actor, writer, producer and director.  His feature acting credits include “I Think I Love My Wife,” which he also wrote and directed, “Head of State” (writer, producer and director), “Death at a Funeral” (also producer), and the first three films in the blockbuster “Madagascar” series, as the voice of Marty.  His other acting credits include “The Longest Yard,” “Nurse Betty,” “2 Days in New York” and “Lethal Weapon 4.”  In 2011 Rock made his Broadway debut starring in “The Motherfucker with the Hat,” which was nominated for six Tony Awards®, including Best Play.  In television, Rock created, executive produced and narrated the series “Everybody Hates Chris,” which ran from 2005 to 2009 and was inspired by Rock’s childhood.  He was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1990 to 1993.

Known internationally for his groundbreaking stand-up comedy, Rock has won four Emmy® Awards for his comedy series and specials, including “Chris Rock – Kill the Messenger,” “The Chris Rock Show” and “Chris Rock: Bring the Pain,” and has achieved record audience numbers around the world.  He also has earned three Grammy® Awards for his comedy albums Never Scared, Bigger and Blacker and Roll with the New.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

81 Countries In Competition In Foreign Language Film Category For 88th Academy Awards

son of saul
SON OF SAUL

The Academy has announced that eighty-one countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 88th Oscars.

The Holocaust drama, SON OF SAUL, won the Grand Prix at Cannes in May.

Paraguay is a first-time entrant.

The 2015 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “Utopia,” Hassan Nazer, director;

Albania, “Bota,” Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci, directors;

Algeria, “Twilight of Shadows,” Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, director;

Argentina, “The Clan,” Pablo Trapero, director;

Australia, “Arrows of the Thunder Dragon,” Greg Sneddon, director;

Austria, “Goodnight Mommy,” Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, directors;

Bangladesh, “Jalal’s Story,” Abu Shahed Emon, director;

Belgium, “The Brand New Testament,” Jaco Van Dormael, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Our Everyday Story,” Ines Tanović, director;

Brazil, “The Second Mother,” Anna Muylaert, director;

Bulgaria, “The Judgment,” Stephan Komandarev, director;

Cambodia, “The Last Reel,” Sotho Kulikar, director;

Canada, “Félix and Meira,” Maxime Giroux, director;

Chile, “The Club,” Pablo Larraín, director;

China, “Go Away Mr. Tumor,” Han Yan, director;

Colombia, “Embrace of the Serpent,” Ciro Guerra, director;

Costa Rica, “Imprisoned,” Esteban Ramírez, director;

Croatia, “The High Sun,” Dalibor Matanić, director;

Czech Republic, “Home Care,” Slavek Horak, director;

Denmark, “A War,” Tobias Lindholm, director;

Dominican Republic, “Sand Dollars,” Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, directors;

Estonia, “1944,” Elmo Nüganen, director;

Ethiopia, “Lamb,” Yared Zeleke, director;

Finland, “The Fencer,” Klaus Härö, director;

France, “Mustang,” Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director;

Georgia, “Moira,” Levan Tutberidze, director;

Germany, “Labyrinth of Lies,” Giulio Ricciarelli, director;

Greece, “Xenia,” Panos H. Koutras, director;

Guatemala, “Ixcanul,” Jayro Bustamante, director;

Hong Kong, “To the Fore,” Dante Lam, director;

Hungary, “Son of Saul,” László Nemes, director; (Trailer)

Iceland, “Rams,” Grímur Hákonarson, director;

India, “Court,” Chaitanya Tamhane, director;

Iran, “Muhammad: The Messenger of God,” Majid Majidi, director;

Iraq, “Memories on Stone,” Shawkat Amin Korki, director;

Ireland, “Viva,” Paddy Breathnach, director;

Israel, “Baba Joon,” Yuval Delshad, director;

Italy, “Don’t Be Bad,” Claudio Caligari, director;

Ivory Coast, “Run,” Philippe Lacôte, director;

Japan, “100 Yen Love,” Masaharu Take, director;

Jordan, “Theeb,” Naji Abu Nowar, director;

Kazakhstan, “Stranger,” Yermek Tursunov, director;

Kosovo, “Babai,” Visar Morina, director;

Kyrgyzstan, “Heavenly Nomadic,” Mirlan Abdykalykov, director;

Latvia, “Modris,” Juris Kursietis, director;

Lebanon, “Void,” Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle

Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim, Salim Haber, directors;

Lithuania, “The Summer of Sangaile,” Alanté Kavaïté, director;

Luxembourg, “Baby (A)lone,” Donato Rotunno, director;

Macedonia, “Honey Night,” Ivo Trajkov, director;

Malaysia, “Men Who Save the World,” Liew Seng Tat, director;

Mexico, “600 Miles,” Gabriel Ripstein, director;

Montenegro, “You Carry Me,” Ivona Juka, director;

Morocco, “Aida,” Driss Mrini, director;

Nepal, “Talakjung vs Tulke,” Basnet Nischal, director;

Netherlands, “The Paradise Suite,” Joost van Ginkel, director;

Norway, “The Wave,” Roar Uthaug, director;

Pakistan, “Moor,” Jami, director;

Palestine, “The Wanted 18,” Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, directors;

Paraguay, “Cloudy Times,” Arami Ullón, director;

Peru, “NN,” Héctor Gálvez, director;

Philippines, “Heneral Luna,” Jerrold Tarog, director;

Poland, “11 Minutes,” Jerzy Skolimowski, director;

Portugal, “Arabian Nights – Volume 2, The Desolate One,” Miguel Gomes, director;

Romania, “Aferim!” Radu Jude, director;

Russia, “Sunstroke,” Nikita Mikhalkov, director;

Serbia, “Enclave,” Goran Radovanović, director;

Singapore, “7 Letters,” Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Tan Pin Pin,

Boo Junfeng, K. Rajagopal, directors;

Slovakia, “Goat,” Ivan Ostrochovský, director;

Slovenia, “The Tree,” Sonja Prosenc, director;

South Africa, “The Two of Us,” Ernest Nkosi, director;

South Korea, “The Throne,” Lee Joon-ik, director;

Spain, “Flowers,” Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, directors;

Sweden, “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” Roy Andersson, director;

Switzerland, “Iraqi Odyssey,” Samir, director;

Taiwan, “The Assassin,” Hou Hsiao-hsien, director;

Thailand, “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time),” Josh Kim, director;

Turkey, “Sivas,” Kaan Müjdeci, director;

United Kingdom, “Under Milk Wood,” Kevin Allen, director;

Uruguay, “A Moonless Night,” Germán Tejeira, director;

Venezuela, “Gone with the River,” Mario Crespo, director;

Vietnam, “Jackpot,” Dustin Nguyen, director.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

David Hill and Reginald Hudlin To Produce 88th Academy Awards

87th Oscars®, Thursday Set Ups

Emmy-winning live television producer David Hill and Oscar-nominated producer-director Reginald Hudlin will produce the 88th Oscars telecast, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today.  It will be their first involvement with the Academy Awards, which will air live on the ABC Television Network on Oscar Sunday, February 28, 2016.

“We’re delighted to have this talented team on board,” said Boone Isaacs. “David is a true innovator with a dynamic personality.  His vast experience as a live events producer, coupled with Reggie’s energy, creativity and talent as a filmmaker, is sure to make this year’s Oscar telecast a memorable one.”

“What a great and exciting honor!  The quest is to honor the year in film, honor the art, and above all, make it fun,” said Hill.

“I’m looking forward to working with the Academy again,” said Hudlin.  “I love every kind of film and this year’s awards will be a celebration of the total range of cinema.”

88 oscar producers

“We’re excited to work with David and Reggie,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.  “With their enthusiasm and breadth of experience, they will bring a fresh perspective to the Oscar show.”

An executive with the Fox group of companies for more than 25 years, Hill most recently served as the senior executive vice president of 21st Century Fox, overseeing programming, digital initiatives, and other opportunities on five continents. He was previously the chairman and CEO of Fox Sports Media Group, during which time he spearheaded the integration of new technologies and multiplatform programming services across the U.S.

A writer, director, producer and executive, Hudlin received a 2012 Best Picture Oscar nomination as a producer of “Django Unchained.”  Hudlin’s film credits include “Boomerang,” “The Great White Hype” and the award-winning comedy “House Party,” which he also wrote.  He executive produced the hit television series “The Boondocks” and “The Black Panther”; and has directed for “Modern Family,” “Murder in The First,” “New Girl” and “The Office.”  Last year, Hudlin produced the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards ceremony and has been the executive producer of the NAACP Image Awards since 2012.

The Oscars ranks as television’s #1 entertainment telecast and consistently has drawn an average audience of more than 40 million viewers for the past 10 years.  The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.

Campaign Regulations And Rules Announced For 88th Oscars

Oscar Statuettes

The Academy’s Board of Governors approved Oscars rules and campaign regulations for the 88th Academy Awards at their most recent Board meeting (Tuesday night, 6/23).

In the Best Picture category, to qualify as a producer nominee for a nominated picture, the producer must have been determined eligible for a Producers Guild of America (PGA) award for the picture, or must have appealed the PGA’s refusal of such eligibility. Final determination of the qualifying producer nominees for each nominated picture will be made by the Academy’s Producers Branch Executive Committee.

In the Visual Effects category, the number of eligible films that will be initially shortlisted for further consideration has increased to a maximum of 20 titles. The number of films that will be shortlisted for nominations voting remains at 10.

In the Documentary Short Subject category, the number of films that will be shortlisted for nominations voting has increased from 8 to 10 titles. Instead of a possible three, four or five nominees, the number is now set at five.

In the Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories, a film qualifying via a theatrical release must now have a theater run in Los Angeles County for at least seven consecutive days with at least one screening per day. The film also must appear in the theater listings along with the appropriate dates and screening times. In both categories, the number of nominees is now set at five.

Other amendments to the rules include standard date changes and other “housekeeping” adjustments.

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.

Updated campaign regulations, which specify how companies and individuals may market to Academy members any movies and achievements eligible for the 88th Academy Awards, are also presented to the Board for approval.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

86th Academy Awards, Arrivals