Photo: SplashNews – Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”

It’s the 2013 award season and the events will be happening one after another. We just had the popular People’s Choice Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards and this Sunday is the Golden Globe Awards.

This year in Beverly Hills, California – celebrities Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane announced the Oscar nominees for the 2013 Academy Awards, to be held on Sunday February 24. This year’s Oscar nominees are as talented as ever. Some actors were expected with an Oscars nomination, but others are a surprise to many. Did your fave get a nomination for the 2013 Oscars?

If you have ever dreamed of attending an award show, whether in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, etc… then contact us for the best VIP tickets.

The historic movie “Lincoln” leads Oscar race with 12 total Oscar nominations. Here is a complete list:

Performance by an actor in a leading role:
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Performance by an actress in a leading role:
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Best animated feature film of the year:
Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, Brave
Tim Burton, Frankenweenie
Sam Fell and Chris Butler, ParaNorman
Peter Lord, The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Rich Moore, Wreck-It Ralph

Achievement in cinematography:
Seamus McGarvey, Anna Karenina
Robert Richardson, Django Unchained
Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi
Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln
Roger Deakins, Skyfall

Achievement in costume design:
Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina
Paco Delgado, Les Misérables
Joanna Johnston, Lincoln
Eiko Ishioka, Mirror Mirror
Colleen Atwood, Snow White and the Huntsman

Achievement in directing:
Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Best documentary feature:
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man

Best documentary short subject:
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

Achievement in film editing:
William Goldenberg, Argo
Tim Squyres, Life of Pi
Michael Kahn, Lincoln
Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers, Silver Linings Playbook
Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, Zero Dark Thirty

Best foreign language film of the year:
Amour (Austria)
Kon-Tiki (Norway)
No (Chile)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
War Witch (Canada)

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling:
Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel, Hitchcock
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, Les Misérables

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score):
Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat, Argo
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
John Williams, Lincoln
Thomas Newman, Skyfall

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song):
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi
“Skyfall” from Skyfall
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables

Best motion picture of the year:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Achievement in production design:
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, Anna Karenina
Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, and Simon Bright, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson, Les Misérables
David Gropman and Anna Pinnock, Life of Pi
Rick Carter and Jim Erickson, Lincoln

Best animated short film:
Minkyu Lee, Adam and Dog
PES, Fresh Guacamole
Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Head over Heels
David Silverman, The Longest Daycare
John Kahrs, Paperman

Best live action short film:
Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura, Asad
Sam French and Ariel Nasr, Buzkashi Boys
Shawn Christensen, Curfew
Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele, Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Yan England, Henry

Achievement in sound editing:
Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn, Argo
Wylie Stateman, Django Unchained
Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton, Life of Pi
Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers, Skyfall
Paul N.J. Ottosson, Zero Dark Thirty

Achievement in sound mixing:
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia, Argo
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, Les Misérables
Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin, Life of Pi
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins, Lincoln
Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson, Skyfall

Achievement in visual effects:
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott, Life of Pi
Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick, Marvel’s The Avengers
Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill, Prometheus
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson, Snow White and the Huntsman

Adapted screenplay:
Chris Terrio, Argo
Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
David Magee, Life of Pi
Tony Kushner, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Original screenplay:
Michael Haneke, Amour
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
John Gatins, Flight
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

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Hotel de La Paix

As the 2012 Academy Awards nears, it’s time to see which of the deserving Oscar nominations wins the coveted statue. We all love to watch a great Oscar film in a theater with popcorn and our favorite drink and candy.

Often what makes a movie special is the luxury destinations movies are filmed in. An Oscar film can quickly increase tourism to that destination.

We all have our favorite movies with tropical beaches, majestic mountains  or historic cities.Just like the successful history of the Oscar, here are seven nomination-worthy vacation spots you can visit.

Enjoy these film locations and discover some of the awesome resorts that call them home. Maybe you’ll see an Oscar film that’s on your favorite movie watch list.

Film: Lara Croft
Set Location: Siem Reap Cambodia
Where to Stay: Hôtel de la Paix
Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful artifacts from the ancient temples Angkor. Played by red carpet regular Angelina Jolie, Lara Croft is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, weapons training and foreign languages – and conquers death-defying dangers in tight outfits. Channel your inner tomb raider while staying at the five-star, centrally located Hôtel de la Paix Siem Reap and explore one of the most religious sites in the world with one of the hotel’s multilingual tour guides.

Film: To Catch a Thief
Set Location: The French Riviera
Where to Stay: Pan Dei Palais
Retired jewel thief John Robie, played by Cary Grant, steals the heart of Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock’s ultimate romantic thriller. The movie, by the way, is responsible for turning Grace Kelly into Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. Whisk your love away to Pan Dei Palais, the starting set for a stylish and romantic  adventure through the French Riviera and Monaco, where you can see for yourself why the film won the 1956 Oscar for Cinematography.

Film: The Beach

Set Location: Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
Where to Stay:  Six Senses Yao Noi
Phang Nga Bay is world famous for its unique limestone formations and pristine beaches where “The Beach” was filmed starring sensational award-winning actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tilda Swinton. Pack your bags and take your darling to get a taste of that stunning panoramic scenery viewed from the ultra luxurious hilltop reserve at Six Senses Yao Noi. Trust us, it’s irresistible.

Film: Dr. No
Set Location: Ocho Rios
Where to Stay: Jewel Dunn’s River Beach Resort & Spa
In the 1962 James Bond film, the short stretch of golden sand beach that has a gorgeous waterfall emptying out into the Caribbean is the notable Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. This is where the legendary scene takes place when James Bond, played by Sean Connery, first meets Honey Ryder who emerges from the water. A stone’s throw from these breathtaking waterfalls sits the adults-only, all-inclusive Jewel Dunn’s River Beach Resort & Spa, the perfect place to take your honey for a dip and dive-in movie. Jamaican jerk popcorn included!

Film: Fool’s Gold
Set Location: Out Islands of The Bahamas
Where to Stay: Pink Sands, Harbour Island, The Bahamas
A new clue to the whereabouts of a buried treasure rekindles a married couple’s sense of adventure in this 2008 adventure comedy starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. A stay at Pink Sands is guaranteed to spark the romance in one of the resort’s cottages and estates nestled in lush gardens, steps away from the legendary pink sands beach. This one is golden. No fools here!

Film: Limitless
Set Location: Puerta Vallarta, Mexico
Where to Stay: Garza Blanca Preserve, Resort & Spa
In the 2011 film Limitless, Hollywood stud Bradley Cooper is seen blasting down the cobblestone streets at the junction of Morelos and Paseo Diaz Ordez, Puerto Vallarta’s famous and dynamic streets ten minutes from Garza Blanca. So after a limitless-filled evening of  vibrant culture, award-winning restaurants and exciting nightlife, recharge at Garza Blanca.

Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards were announced earlier today. Academy president Tom Sherak was joined by Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games) to read the nominations for those recognized at the upcoming Academy Awards.

It’s going to be another exciting event this year in Hollywood. The Academy Awards will be hosted by actor/comedian Billy Crystal and held on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

Click Here for more information on the Academy Awards and the History Of The Oscar.

The members of the Academy from each of the branches vote to decide the nominees in their respective categories. for example, actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, and so on.

In late December, nomination ballots were mailed out to the voting members and since returned directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international accounting firm, for tabulation.

Here is the final list of nominations:

Best Picture
“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

Animated Feature Film
“A Cat in Paris” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2” Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
“Rango” Gore Verbinski

Art Direction
“The Artist” Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris” Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography
“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design
“Anonymous” Lisy Christl
“The Artist” Mark Bridges
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” Arianne Phillips

Directing
“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)
“Hell and Back Again” Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Pina” Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated” TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis” Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad”James Spione
“Saving Face” Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing
“The Artist” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote”
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran

Makeup
“Albert Nobbs” Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Iron Lady” Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)
“The Adventures of Tintin” John Williams
“The Artist” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams

Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Short Film (Animated)
“Dimanche/Sunday” Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)
“Pentecost” Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju” Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak” Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing
“Drive” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Ren Klyce
“Hugo” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo” Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball” Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse” Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo” Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel” Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“The Descendants” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhadi

For more information, visit the official Academy Awards Web site – www.oscar.com

Courtesy of: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy Awards will air tonight. This year’s event is the 83rd Annual Academy Awards – and will be held on Sunday February 27, 2011.

For avid movie fans, throwing an Oscar party is an annual event. The bigger, the better, go all out Hollywood style!

If you are planning to hold your own award-winning Oscar viewing party at your home, here are some helpful tips from the experts – the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

On the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences site, you can find downloadable Oscar® ballots, party play-along games, recipes, cocktails ideas and much more.

Be sure to invite your family and friends and celebrate the best the movie industry has to offer.

http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/partykit/

Katie Lee provides you with insider tips on how to host an Oscar party that is fun and fabulous!

Now you can impress all your family and friends with Katie Lee’s delicious and easy-to-make-at-home recipes.

As a reminder, here’s a recap of the major award nominations:

Best Picture:
Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone

Best Actor in a Leading Role:
Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, James Franco

Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Annette Bening, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams

Best Directing:
Black Swan, The Fighter, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, True Grit

Red Carpet Green Dress

Suzy Amis Cameron is a Hollywood actress and wife of Oscar winning director James Cameron.

If you have ever dreamed of designing your own, stunning dress and having a famous Hollywood celebrity wear it, here’s your chance.

Suzy Amis Cameron is once again providing an opportunity for aspiring fashion designers a win a chance at going to Los Angeles for a Hollywood pre-Oscar party!

Last year, Jillian Granz who was a Michigan State University student, created the winning design for the “Red Carpet Green Dress” contest.

The rules for this year’s design contest is to submit sketches of a dress made of renewable materials. You need to work fast since the deadline is February 2nd.

The contest winner will be chosen by Suzy Amis Cameron and will receive:

– A free trip (with swanky hotel and flights included) for the winner and his/her model

– $2,000 to make the dress and get featured on RedCarpetGreenDress.com website

–  A “red” (actually on green!) carpet walk at an Oscar pre-party in Hollywood on February 23 – as guests of James Cameron and Suzy Amis Cameron

Proceeds from the competition will go to the MUSE schools, which Suzy Amis Cameron founded. The charitable organization helps educate kids around the world.

Another terrific thrill from last year’s winner, was Suzy Amis Cameron actually wore Jillian Granz’s winning dress to the Oscars!

To learn more about the “green” dress design contest, please visit http://redcarpetgreendress.com/rules/

Courtesy of: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy Awards are quickly approaching.  This year’s event – 82nd Annual Academy Awards – will be held on Sunday March 7, 2010.

For avid movie fans, throwing an Oscar party is an annual event. The bigger, the better, all out Hollywood style.

If you are planning to hold an award-winning Oscar viewing party at home, then you may need some help from the experts – the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

On the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences site, you can find downloadable Oscar® ballots, party play-along games, recipes, cocktails ideas and much more.

Be sure to invite your family and friends and celebrate the best the movie industry has to offer.

http://www.oscars.org/partykit

You’ll also be able to read:
* Event producer Cheryl Cecchetto shows you the “10 Must Haves” for throwing an awarding-winning party
* Master Chef Wolfgang Puck cooks and provides you with delicious and easy-to-make-at-home recipes
* Executive Pastry Chef Sherry Yard shows you how to bake a yummy dessert
* Moët & Chandon, the exclusive champagne of the 82nd Academy Awards®, provides a special cocktail that will wow your guests

As a reminder, here’s a recap of the major award nominations:

Best Picture:
Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

Actor in a Leading Role:
Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Renner

Actress in a Leading Role:
Sandra Bullock, Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe, Meryl Streep

Directing:
Avatar, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Nine, Sherlock Holmes, The Young Victoria

Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced earlier today.

It’s going to be an exciting event this year in Hollywood. What’s interesting is there are now ten nominees in the “Best Motion Picture of the Year” category. (see list below)

The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

Click Here for more information on the Academy Awards and the History Of The Oscar.

The members of the Academy from each of the branches vote to decide the nominees in their respective categories. for example, actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, and so on.

In late December, nomination ballots were mailed out to the 5,777 voting members and since returned directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international accounting firm, for tabulation.

Here is the final list of nominations:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

* Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
* George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Colin Firth in “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)
* Morgan Freeman in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
* Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

* Matt Damon in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
* Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
* Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones” (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
* Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

* Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)
* Helen Mirren in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Carey Mulligan in “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
* Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

* Penélope Cruz in “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
* Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
* Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

* “Coraline” (Focus Features), Henry Selick
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox), Wes Anderson
* “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney), John Musker and Ron Clements
* “The Secret of Kells” (GKIDS), Tomm Moore
* “Up” (Walt Disney), Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics), Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* “Nine” (The Weinstein Company), Art Direction: John Myhre, Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* “Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* “The Young Victoria” (Apparition), Art Direction: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Mauro Fiore
* “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Warner Bros.), Bruno Delbonnel
* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Barry Ackroyd
* “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Robert Richardson
* “The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics), Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design

* “Bright Star” (Apparition), Janet Patterson
* “Coco before Chanel” (Sony Pictures Classics), Catherine Leterrier
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics), Monique Prudhomme
* “Nine” (The Weinstein Company), Colleen Atwood
* “The Young Victoria” (Apparition), Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), James Cameron
* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Kathryn Bigelow
* “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Quentin Tarantino
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), Lee Daniels
* “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios), Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature

* “Burma VJ” (Oscilloscope Laboratories), A Magic Hour Films Production, Anders østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
* “The Cove” (Roadside Attractions), An Oceanic Preservation Society Production, Nominees to be determined
* “Food, Inc.” (Magnolia Pictures), A Robert Kenner Films Production, Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”, A Kovno Communications Production, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* “Which Way Home”, A Mr. Mudd Production, Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject

* “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan, Province”, A Downtown Community Television Center Production, Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
* “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”, A Just Media Production, Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”, A Community Media Production, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* “Music by Prudence”, An iThemba Production, Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* “Rabbit à la Berlin” (Deckert Distribution), An MS Films Production, Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing), Julian Clarke
* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Sally Menke
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year

* “Ajami” (Kino International), An Inosan Production, Israel
* “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haddock Films Production, Argentina
* “The Milk of Sorrow”, A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogrà/Vela Production, Peru
* “Un Prophète” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production, France
* “The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics), An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production, Germany

Achievement in makeup

* “Il Divo” (MPI Media Group through Music Box), Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
* “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
* “The Young Victoria” (Apparition), Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), James Horner
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox), Alexandre Desplat
* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* “Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.), Hans Zimmer
* “Up” (Walt Disney), Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

* “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” (Sony Pictures Classics), Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas
* “Take It All” from “Nine” (The Weinstein Company), Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best motion picture of the year

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), A Lightstorm Entertainment Production, James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
* “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.), An Alcon Entertainment Production, Nominees to be determined
* “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing), A Block/Hanson Production, Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
* “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production, Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), A Voltage Pictures Production, Nominees to be determined
* “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production, Lawrence Bender, Producer
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production, Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
* “A Serious Man” (Focus Features), A Working Title Films Production, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
* “Up” (Walt Disney), A Pixar Production, Jonas Rivera, Producer
* “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios), A Montecito Picture Company Production, Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best animated short film

* “French Roast” , A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production, Fabrice O. Joubert
* “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” (Brown Bag Films), A Brown Bag Films Production, Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
* “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)”, A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production, Javier Recio Gracia
* “Logorama” (Autour de Minuit), An Autour de Minuit Production, Nicolas Schmerkin
* “A Matter of Loaf and Death” (Aardman Animations), An Aardman Animations Production, Nick Park

Best live action short film

* “The Door” (Network Ireland Television), An Octagon Films Production, Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
* “Instead of Abracadabra”, (The Swedish Film Institute), A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production, Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
* “Kavi”, A Gregg Helvey Production, Gregg Helvey
* “Miracle Fish”, (Premium Films), A Druid Films Production, Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
* “The New Tenants”, A Park Pictures and M & M Production, Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson
* “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Wylie Stateman
* “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
* “Up” (Walt Disney), Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
* “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
* “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
* “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount), Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects

* “Avatar” (20th Century Fox), Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
* “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing) , Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
* “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay

* “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing), Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
* “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics), Screenplay by Nick Hornby
* “In the Loop” (IFC Films), Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate), Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
* “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) , Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay

* “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment), Written by Mark Boal
* “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company), Written by Quentin Tarantino
* “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories), Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
* “A Serious Man” (Focus Features), Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* “Up” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

For more information, visit the official Academy Awards Web site – www.oscar.com

From its initial creation in 1927, one of the first goals of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was the method to honor achievements in the motion picture industry. A committee of seven members was formed and given the task of creating an Academy Awards presentation.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929. It was definitely a low key affair compared to the glamor and glitz that surround the ceremonies of today.

Two hundred and fifty people attended the black-tie banquet that evening in the Blossom Room of Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Emil Jannings, who was the winner for best actor, decided to go back to his home in Germany before the ceremony. But before he departed, Emil Jannings was handed the very first Academy Award.

We all know the focal point is the actual Oscar statuette. Early on, the Academy Awards knew that the success of the Awards was the centered around the actual trophy, so it could be presented at the Awards. MGM art director Cedric Gibbons was tasked with designing the statuette.

The statuette is a simple, stylized golden knight standing on a reel of film and gripping a sword. The award was actually created by sculptor George Stanley.

One question that often arises, is how did the Oscar get its name?

The official name of the statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. The statuette is almost exclusively known as the Oscar.

The exact reason is not known, but the most popular story involves then Academy librarian and future executive director, Margaret Herrick. When Herrick saw the statuette sitting on a table, stated “it looks just like my Uncle Oscar!” The name stuck and that magical golden statuette has been called Oscar ever since.

Over the past 80 plus years, the actual Oscar statuette has undergone relatively few changes. Compared to the 1929 version, they are almost exactly the same. It is 13 ½ inches tall and weighs 8 ½ pounds.

But there have been some very fundamental changes. 15 Oscar statuettes were awarded during the first Academy Awards ceremony on May 16th, 1929. They were made of gold-plated solid bronze and placed upon a pedestal made of Belgian black marble.

In 1945, two minor changes occurred with the pedestal. It was made slightly higher and is currently made of metal, rather than marble. Beginning in 1949, the statues began to be numbered. For whatever reason, the starting number began with 501. The number is written behind Oscar’s heels. An example would be: 2008, 2,698

The record for the most Oscar awards during a career is Walt Disney, who was awarded the statuette 26 times.