Tom Sherak – We Are Movie Geeks

Former Academy President Tom Sherak Dies At 68

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The film community has lost one of the industry’s giants. Former Academy President Tom Sherak passed away today at the age of 68 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Here’s the statement from The Academy:

The Academy is deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved former president Tom Sherak.

Sherak joined the Executives Branch of the Academy in 1983. He served three terms on the Board of Governors, from August 2003 through July 2012, the last three as President.

He was most recently named Los Angeles film czar by Mayor Eric Garcetti to support local film production and serve as a liaison between state lawmakers and the entertainment industry.

Sherak’s remarkable five-decade career has seen him at the pinnacle of motion picture marketing, distribution and production at companies including Revolution Studios, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures.

He was founder and chairman of the MS Hope Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting the needs of the Multiple Sclerosis community.

His passion and tireless energy impacted the Academy in countless ways – especially his support of our new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Statement from Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President

“In the more than 30 years I’ve known Tom, his passionate support of and excitement about the motion picture business, the Academy, his family and friends never wavered. He was truly larger than life, and he will be missed.”

Statement from Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO

“He was my mentor and my friend. I learned from him, I laughed with him, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the time we shared together. He had a huge influence on the direction of our Academy and on me personally. I will miss laughing with him most of all.”

The following is a statement from the Sherak family.

“To the entertainment community,

With broken hearts we want to share with you the news that Tom Sherak passed away today after a long 12 year battle with prostate cancer. He died at home surrounded by his family giving him hugs, kisses, and love.

Tom is, was, and always will be, our loving husband, daddy, papa, brother, friend, and “Go to Guy.” He blessed this earth for 68 incredible years, and he will be missed every single day.

Tom lived his life as an open book. He opened his heart and let the world in, and anyone who was lucky enough to know him knew first hand the power of his love. He gave everything he had to help others, regardless of whether or not he knew them. Tom is a true hero in our lives who has a star on the sidewalk and wings to fly.

We love him so very much.”

Tom Sherak Re-elected Academy President

August 2, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOM SHERAK RE-ELECTED ACADEMY PRESIDENT

Beverly Hills, CA – Tom Sherak was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tonight (August 2) by the organization’s Board of Governors. This will be his third consecutive one-year term in the office.
Sherak is beginning his ninth year as a governor representing the Executives Branch. He had previously also served as treasurer for the Academy.

In addition, Producers Branch governor Hawk Koch was elected first vice president; Executives Branch governor Robert Rehme was elected to one vice president post and Writers Branch governor Phil Robinson was re-elected to the other vice president post; Short Films and Feature Animation Branch governor John Lasseter was elected treasurer; and Actors Branch governor Annette Bening was re-elected secretary.

Sherak, a marketing, distribution and production executive with more than four decades of experience in the motion picture industry, is currently a consultant for Skydance Productions and Relativity Media.

Previously, Sherak was a partner at Revolution Studios where he oversaw the release of more than 30 films including “Black Hawk Down,” “Anger Management,” “Rent,” and “Across the Universe.”

Prior to joining Revolution, Sherak was chairman of Twentieth Century Fox Domestic Film Group and served as senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Previously, he held various positions at Fox, including senior executive vice president, where he oversaw the distribution and post-production of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Speed,” and “Independence Day,” among others.

In 1990 Sherak was named executive vice president of Twentieth Century Fox. Prior to that he was president of domestic distribution and marketing for Fox, where he launched such films as “Romancing the Stone,” ” Aliens,” “Wall Street,” “Die Hard” and “Working Girl.” He began his career in the industry at Paramount Pictures in 1970.

Academy board members serve three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any one office.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

Dawn Hudson And Ric Robertson Named To New Academy Posts

Beverly Hills, CA – The Board of Governors of the Motion Picture Academy voted on Thursday to establish a new executive structure for the organization, replacing retiring executive director Bruce Davis with former Film Independent head Dawn Hudson and long-time Academy executive Ric Robertson, who will become the organization’s CEO and COO respectively. Robertson will report to Hudson in the new leadership tandem.

Hudson has spent 20 years at the helm of Film Independent, which grew from a small non-profit into a nationally recognized arts institution under her leadership. Film Independent’s two signature programs are the 26-year-old Independent Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, held annually in June.

“The Academy is the gold standard for the world’s most influential art form, and I am humbled by what the Board of Governors, the Academy members, and the staff have accomplished under Bruce Davis’s leadership.” said Hudson. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with Ric, and to carry the Academy’s mission forward into the future.”

Robertson joined the Academy in 1981 following a short stint with the Los Angeles International Film Exposition (FILMEX), and became the organization’s second-in-command in 1989, when he was appointed Executive Administrator. In that position he has overseen the Academy’s public programming, its library and film archive as well as its public relations, marketing, legal affairs, and numerous awards-related events and activities.

“Having Bruce as a mentor has been tremendously valuable to me,” said Robertson. “It will serve me well as I move into this new management position and partnership with Dawn, as we help to write the Academy’s next chapter.”

Academy president Tom Sherak said that the new structure for the Academy’s executive staff had occurred to the officers of the organization as they began seriously considering the succession issue. “We’re a different organization than we used to be,” Sherak said, “with a range of activities that couldn’t have been conceived of when the present structure came into place. Now, with the leadership team of Dawn as our CEO and Ric as our COO, we have the ideal combination of new vision and institutional continuity to move us forward.”

Following a planned bylaw revision, already in the works, Hudson and Robertson will assume their new positions on June 1.

(Photo: Executive Administrator Ric Robertson left, and Executive Director Bruce Davis held a press conference on the red carpet arrivals area at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium Friday, March 24, 2000)

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY:
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

Hofstra Students Win Grand Prize In Academy/mtvU “Oscars(R) Correspondent Contest”

Luz Pena and Philip Robibero Earn Spots on Red Carpet for Celebrity Arrivals on February 27

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, today announced that Luz Pena and Philip Robibero from Hofstra University are the Grand Prize winners for the “Oscars Correspondent Contest.” As part of their prize, they have earned a spot on the red carpet for the 83rd Academy Awards® arrivals tomorrow, February 27, and will have access to the backstage press rooms and the Governors Ball. Oscar® coverage from the winning team will be posted on mtvU.com and MTVNews.com the week of February 28.

“Luz and Philip made a strong impression with the Academy selection panel and the online voters. I know they will represent the college community well,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “They are in for an unforgettable experience – the red carpet at the Oscars is like no place else on earth.”

“There is no surprise that Hofstra University continues to develop amazing talent and Luz and Philip absolutely delivered this year,” said Carlo DiMarco, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at mtvU. “We’re excited that, along with the Academy, we were once again able to offer this incredible experience and look forward to continuing our commitment to providing college students engaging contests with unparalleled rewards.”

Pena and Robibero beat out teams of college journalists from across the nation to win this opportunity. The Academy and mtvU selected an initial group of ten semifinalists from the contest entries. Those ten semifinalists competed in an online vote, after which the field was narrowed to three.

The three finalist teams were brought to Los Angeles, where they have been covering Academy Awards pre-events, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Photo Op, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium, and the Governors Ball preview.

The winning team was selected following a second mtvU online poll and an evaluation by the Academy and a panel of entertainment news professionals. The panel was composed of Brooke Anderson, co-host of HLN’s “Showbiz Tonight”; Sandy Cohen from the Associated Press; and Adam Weissler from “Extra.”

I spoke with two of the judges immediately after the winners were announced.

Runners-up Blake Mitchell and David Torcivia from the University of Georgia and Sarah Erickson and Joel Kutz from the University of Southern California earned bleacher seats along the red carpet, where they will watch guest arrivals, and received admission to the 2011 Bleacher Fan Oscar Viewing Party at the historic El Capitan Theatre.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY:

www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

ABOUT MTVU
Broadcast to more than 750 college campuses and via top cable distributors in 700 college communities nationwide, mtvU reaches upwards of 9 million U.S. college students – making it the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S., as well as on cable systems from Charter Communications, Verizon FiOS TV, Suddenlink Communications, AT&T u-Verse and nearly 70 others.

mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are: on-air, online and on campus. mtvU programs music videos from emerging artists that can’t be seen anywhere else, news, student life features and initiatives that give college students the tools to advance positive social change. mtvU is always on campus, with more than 250 events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com

Mo’Nique To Join Academy President Tom Sherak For Oscar® Nominations

AMPAS has issued this latest press release on the upcoming happenings for Nomination morning

Beverly Hills, CA – Nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards® will be announced on Tuesday, January 25, by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and Oscar-winning actress and Academy member Mo’Nique.

Sherak and Mo’Nique will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:30 a.m. 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 Mo’Nique received her first Oscar nomination and win for her supporting performance in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” She currently hosts her own late-night talk show, “The Mo’Nique Show,” on BET.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY:

www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

Godard Will Miss Governors Awards

On August 24th, the honorees for the upcoming 2010 Governors Awards were selected by the Academy’s Board of Governors at a specially convened meeting. The Board voted to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producer-director Francis Ford Coppola and Honorary Awards to historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, director Jean-Luc Godard and actor Eli Wallach. All awards will be presented at the Academy’s 2nd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 13.

Then it was reported that Godard was considering not attending the ceremony and replied to Academy president Tom Sherak, by saying he would come to Los Angeles for the November 13 Governors Awards event, if his schedule permitted. Today, AMPAS confirmed that Godard will in fact not be attending the Governors Awards after all.

Godard to Miss Governors Awards

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that, following a two-month-long cordial exchange of correspondence with Academy president Tom Sherak, Jean-Luc Godard has regretfully notified Sherak that he will not be able to attend the November 13th Governors Awards and receive his Honorary Award in person.

“He reiterated his thanks for the award,” reported Sherak, “and also sent his good wishes to the other individuals being honored the same night – Kevin Brownlow, Francis Ford Coppola and Eli Wallach – who he refers to as ‘the three other musketeers.’”

The November 13 dinner ceremony, which is being produced by Sid Ganis and Don Mischer, will pay tribute to Godard through film clips and commentary by his admirers. The award will be accepted on Godard’s behalf by the Academy and following the event, the Academy will arrange for the Oscar® statuette to be delivered to him in Switzerland.

Source: Oscars.org

Godard May Accept Honorary Oscar In Person

Statement Regarding Jean-Luc Godard’s Reply to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Beverly Hills, CA (September 7, 2010) —

In response to Academy President Tom Sherak’s letter informing him that the Board of Governors had voted him an Honorary Oscar, Jean-Luc Godard has sent a cordial, hand-written note back to Sherak. In it, Godard graciously thanked the organization for the honor and referred to himself as “the fourth musketeer,” in acknowledgement of the fact that three others (Kevin Brownlow, Francis Ford Coppola and Eli Wallach) are among the year’s honorees.

His note, relayed to the Academy late last week via an assistant to Godard, indicated that, schedule permitting, he would come to Los Angeles for the November 13 Governors Awards event.

Good form of Godard to travel to the states to accept the award in person. While I realize these non-broadcasted awards in November are not to everyone’s liking, it’s fitting that the whole evening is solely dedicated to these remarkable artists.

Source: Oscars.org

AMPAS Board Of Governors Re-Elects Sherak & Elects Bening And Brooks

Here’s the latest news from AMPAS:

Tom Sherak was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on August 3rd, 2010 by the organization’s Board of Governors. This will be his second consecutive one-year term in the office. Sherak is beginning his eighth year as a governor representing the Executives Branch. He had previously also served as treasurer for the Academy.

If you remember, Sherak was a big supporter of the Academy’s brow-raising decision to expand the Best Picture Category from 5 to 10 nominees.

Here were the 10 Best Picture Nominees of 2010.

AVATAR

THE BLIND SIDE

DISTRICT 9

AN EDUCATION

THE HURT LOCKER

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SAPPHIRE

A SERIOUS MAN

UP

UP IN THE AIR

In July, Oscar recipients, director Kathryn Bigelow, film editor Anne Coates and documentarian Michael Moore became first-time electees to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences-Board of Governors. In June, Sherak announced that Academy Award-winning producer Bruce Cohen and acclaimed television producer/director Don Mischer will produce the 83rd Academy Awards telecast. Mischer will also serve as the telecast’s director. This will be the first involvement with the Oscar telecast for both men, though the two worked together on the Academy’s inaugural Governors Awards event in November of 2010.

Sherak, a marketing, distribution and production executive with more than four decades of experience in the motion picture industry, is currently a consultant for Marvel Studios and Relativity Media. Previously, Sherak was a partner at Revolution Studios where he oversaw the release of more than 30 films including Black Hawk Down, Anger Management, Rent, and Across the Universe.

Prior to joining Revolution, Sherak was chairman of Twentieth Century Fox Domestic Film Group and served as senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Previously, he held various positions at Fox, including senior executive vice president, where he oversaw the distribution and post-production of Mrs. Doubtfire, Speed, and Independence Day, among others.

In 1990 Sherak was named executive vice president of Twentieth Century Fox. Prior to that he was president of domestic distribution and marketing for Fox, where he launched such films as Romancing the Stone, Aliens, Wall Street, Die Hard, and Working Girl. He began his career in the industry at Paramount Pictures in 1970.

In addition, Public Relations Branch governor and past Academy president Sid Ganis was elected first vice president; Writers Branch governor James L. Brooks was elected to one vice president post and Phil Robinson, also from the Writers Branch, was re-elected to a vice president post; Producers Branch governor Hawk Koch was re-elected treasurer; and Actors Branch governor Annette Bening was elected secretary. These will be the first officer stints for Brooks and Bening. Academy board members serve three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any one office.

Source: oscars.org

Who the Hell is Driving Oscar’s Boat??

Seems like some of the Oscar pundits are in a dither over AMPAS President Tom Sherak’s delay in announcing a Producer and Host for the 82nd Academy Awards…ON MARCH 7TH…. months away!! What’s the rush?

This week’s Entertainment Weekly has a brief article titled “Where’s the new Oscar Producer?” It claims that many in Hollywood don’t want the thankless, time consuming job. Just think about the logistics that went into last year’s new concept of securing five former best actors/actress winners to come on stage to present the new recipient into the club. It was a brilliant touch, I might add.

However, others also wonder what the hold up is with finding a producer and host.

Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood Daily wrote on Friday that AMPAS would love to be able to announce the producer and host at the same time, but that last year’s host, Hugh Jackman, was being advised by those close to him to NOT accept the gig again if asked.

Gregory Ellwood’s “Inside Awards Season” article over at HitFix, while wanting to see someone new at the Kodak Theatre this year, ponders “Could Billy Crystal return as Academy Awards Host?” He mentions that the “8-time host wants another go at it.”

Billy Crystal? Really? And the last time he was relevant was when? No one in the all-important demographic that the Academy is looking for will truthfully know who he is, I don’t care if he and Sherak do have past history.

Even TOH’s Anne Thompson admits “Picking a producer for the Oscar telecast is the first big project facing any incoming Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences president like Tom Sherak. But the process can’t start before he’s elected. And the new president is still learning the ropes.”

While all the articles raise some valid points and concerns, I’ll give AMPAS and its new president, Tom Sherak, the benefit of the doubt. I’ll grant you, it appears that they may be behind in choosing new producers…last year’s, Condon and Mark, were announced on Sept.24. The upcoming 82nd Academy Awards airs after the Olympics on March 7, 2010, so AMPAS has some time. The EW article quotes Academy’s publicist Leslie Unger as saying, “I don’t know when we’ll have a producer but we’re not in panic mode.”

If it seems that I’m stumping for the Academy – I am. I watch the race year round..ad nauseum some would say. I read Awards Daily, Thompson On Hollywood, and In Contention faithfully. After all the guff AMPAS received from the Best Picture category change, can you blame them? I’d take plenty of time and not be in such a rush because Hollywood dictates it. I too have raised an eyebrow with some of their changes, most notably the removal of the Governor Awards recipients from the actual Oscar broadcast, but not enough to fall into the mob mentality demanding answers from Sherak. Second guessing of the Academy’s show is religiously done every blasted year, but when all the ranting is said and done, everyone comes back for the annual show.

Still, many are anxious for the all important announcement from Sherak. Fine. Seeing as they ARE looking for new producers for the big show and according to EW, no one in Hollywood wants the job, my Oscar partner in crime, Panda Hugger, and I have a few ideas.

First and foremost, put us in charge and let us act as the Oscar Producers’. Once you’ve stopped your chuckling there. here’s how’d we go at it:

We won’t worry about the running time of the show because we know the die-hards will stay til the bitter end. People WILL watch in droves this year just to see how the 10 Best Picture Race turns out and don’t think they won’t.
We know historically the ratings have never been stellar. It’s a fact. The year that TITANIC won was a fluke. We’re not that concerned with the overnights and, ca’mon, the producing gig is usually a one year deal anyway.
We’d bring in the writers of Big Bang Theory. Have you watched the funniest comedy on tv lately? Earlier this year, Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre were given a multiyear renewal on their hilarious show. It’s time for old-school writers Bruce Villanch and Carrie Fisher to go.
If Jackman doesn’t return as host, we’d go with Neil Patrick Harris or Tina Fey. Possible letting Wanda Sikes have a go at it – Her recent HBO special was a riot.
We’d keep with the very Bob Mackie set that we previewed in February.

So if Academy President Tom Sherak is reading this, we’re ready to assume our producing duties for “THE BIGGEST MOVIE EVENT OF THE YEAR. You can contact us at We Are Movies Geeks.com. Otherwise, we’ll patiently wait for your announcement in the next few weeks and won’t feel slighted, in the least bit, if we’re overlooked. Ok, maybe just a little.

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Godard to Miss Governors Awards

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Statement Regarding Jean-Luc Godard’s Reply to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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