Posts of the Past

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

84th Academy Awards Nominations Announced

84th ACADEMY AWARDS® NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

Photo: Michael Germana / Superstar Images

 BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards were announced
today (Tuesday, January 24) by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President
Tom Sherak and 2010 Oscar® nominee Jennifer Lawrence


 Sherak and Lawrence, who was nominated for an Academy Award® for her lead
performance in “Winter’s Bone,” announced the nominees in 10 of the 24 Award categories
at a 5:38 a.m. PT live news conference attended by more than 400 international media
representatives.  Lists of nominations in all categories were then distributed to the media in
attendance and online via the official Academy Awards website, www.oscar.com.   
Photo: Michael Germana/ Superstar Images
 Academy members from each of the 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, nominations are
selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees.  All voting members are eligible to
select the Best Picture nominees.

 Nominations ballots were mailed to the 5,783 voting members in late December and
were returned directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the international accounting firm,
for tabulation.

 Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for
members this weekend 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.


 All active and life members of the Academy are eligible to select the winners in all
categories, although in five of them – Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film,
Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject and Foreign Language Film – members
can vote only if they have seen all of the nominated films in those categories.
 Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on
Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®,
and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET. 
The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries
worldwide.


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/TheAcadem

 
- NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY - 84TH AWARDS -

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Demián Bichir in “A Better Life” (Summit Entertainment)
George Clooney in “The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight)
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn” (The Weinstein Company)
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Nick Nolte in “Warrior” (Lionsgate)
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners” (Focus Features)
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions)
Viola Davis in “The Help” (Touchstone)
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady” (The Weinstein Company)
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
Jessica Chastain in “The Help” (Touchstone)
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids” (Universal)
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions)
Octavia Spencer in “The Help” (Touchstone)


Best animated feature film of the year
“A Cat in Paris” (GKIDS) Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” (GKIDS) Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed
by Paramount) Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by
Paramount) Chris Miller
“Rango” (Paramount) Gore Verbinsk


Achievement in art direction
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Production Design: 
Set Decoration: Laurence Bennett Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”                 
(Warner Bros.) Production Design:  Set Decoration: Stuart Craig Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” (Paramount) Production Design: 
Set Decoration: Dante Ferretti Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Production Design:
Set Decoration: Anne Seibel Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse” (Touchstone) Production Design:
Set Decoration: Rick Carter Lee Sandales

Achievement in cinematography
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures
Releasing) Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” (Paramount) Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” (Touchstone) Janusz Kaminski

Achievement in costume design
“Anonymous” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Lisy Christl
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Mark Bridges
“Hugo” (Paramount) Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” (Focus Features) Michael O'Connor
“W.E.” (The Weinstein Company) Arianne Phillips

Photo: Michael Germana/ Superstar Images
Achievement in directing
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)  Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Alexander Payne
“Hugo” (Paramount) Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight) Terrence Malick

Best documentary feature
“Hell and Back Again” (Docurama Films)
A Roast Beef Limited Production Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
(Oscilloscope Laboratories)
 A Marshall Curry Production
Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” 
An @radical.media Production Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
“Pina” (Sundance Selects)
A Neue Road Movies Production Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated” (The Weinstein Company)
A Spitfire Pictures Production TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Rich Middlemas

Best documentary short subject
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil       
Rights Movement”                                                    
A Purposeful Production
Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”
A Documentress Films Production Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad”
A Morninglight Films Production James Spione
“Saving Face” 
 A Milkhaus/Jungefilm Production Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” 
A Supply & Demand Integrated Production Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen


Achievement in film editing
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures
Releasing) Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” (Paramount) Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Christopher Tellefsen

Best foreign language film of the year
“Bullhead” 
A Savage Film Production Belgium
“Footnote” (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Footnote Limited Partnership Production Israel
“In Darkness” (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Studio Filmowe Zebra Production Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” (Music Box Films)
A micro_scope Production Canada
“A Separation” (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Dreamlab Films Production Iran

Achievement in makeup
“Albert Nobbs” (Roadside Attractions) Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and           
Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”     
(Warner Bros.) Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
“The Iron Lady” (The Weinstein Company) Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“The Adventures of Tintin” (Paramount) John Williams
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” (Paramount) Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features) Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” (Touchstone) John Williams

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
(Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio”
(20th Century Fox) Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett 
  
Best motion picture of the year
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
A La Petite Reine/Studio 37/La Classe
Américaine/JD Prod/France3 Cinéma/Jouror
Productions/uFilm Production
Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight)
An Ad Hominem Enterprises Production Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Warner Bros.)
A Warner Bros. Pictures Production Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” (Touchstone)
A DreamWorks Pictures Production Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” (Paramount)
A Paramount Pictures and GK Films Production Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) 
A Pontchartrain Production Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Columbia Pictures Production Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight)
A River Road Entertainment Production Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” (Touchstone)
A DreamWorks Pictures Production Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Best animated short film
“Dimanche/Sunday” (National Film Board of Canada)
A National Film Board of Canada Production Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” 
A Moonbot Studios LA Production William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” (Walt Disney)
 A Pixar Animation Studios Production Enrico Casarosa 
“A Morning Stroll” (Studio AKA)
             A Studio AKA Production Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” (National Film Board of Canada)
A National Film Board of Canada Production  Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby


Best live action short film
“Pentecost” (Network Ireland Television)
An EMU Production Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
“Raju” 
A Hamburg Media School/Filmwerkstatt Production Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” 
 An All Ashore Production Terry George and Oorlagh George 
“Time Freak”  
A Team Toad Production Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” (Norsk Filminstitutt)
A Norwegian Film School/Den Norske Filmskolen 
Production
Hallvar Witzø

Achievement in sound editing
“Drive” (FilmDistrict) Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Sony Pictures
Releasing) Ren Klyce
“Hugo” (Paramount) Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” (Touchstone) Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

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

Achievement in visual effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”    
(Warner Bros.) Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler andJohn Richardson 
“Hugo” (Paramount)  Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann and    
Alex Henning 
“Real Steel” (Touchstone)

Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and    
Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and
Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (Paramount) Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and   
John Frazier

Adapted screenplay
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon &
Jim Rash
“Hugo” (Paramount) Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and
Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin 
Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (Focus Features)  Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Original screenplay
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company) Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” (Universal) Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” (Roadside Attractions) Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Asghar Farhadi
                                          

                                                                  - NOMINATIONS BY PICTURE -
(This list does not include Short Films or Documentary Short Subjects.)

“The Adventures of Tintin,” a Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures Production
(Paramount) (1 nomination)
Original score 

“Albert Nobbs,” a Trillium Productions, Mockingbird Pictures and Parallel Films Production      
(Roadside Attractions) (3 nominations)
Glenn Close - Performance by an actress in a leading role 
Janet McTeer - Performance by an actress in a supporting role 
Makeup 

“Anonymous,” a Columbia Pictures Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (1 nomination)
Costume design 

“The Artist,” a La Petite Reine/Studio 37/La Classe Américaine/JD Prod/France3 Cinéma/
Jouror Productions/uFilm Production (The Weinstein Company) (10 nominations)
Jean Dujardin - Performance by an actor in a leading role 
Bérénice Bejo - Performance by an actress in a supporting role 
Art direction 
Cinematography 
Costume design 
Directing 
Film editing 
Original score 
Best picture 
Original screenplay 

“Beginners,” an Olympus Pictures in association with Parts & Labor Production                 
(Focus Features) (1 nomination)
Christopher Plummer - Performance by an actor in a supporting role  

“A Better Life,” a Summit Entertainment Production (Summit Entertainment) (1 nomination)
Demián Bichir - Performance by an actor in a leading role  

“Bridesmaids,” a Universal Pictures Production (Universal) (2 nominations)
Melissa McCarthy - Performance by an actress in a supporting role  
Original screenplay 

“Bullhead,” a Savage Film Production  (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Belgium) 

“A Cat in Paris,” a Folimage Production (GKIDS) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film  

“Chico & Rita,” a Chico & Rita Distribution Limited Production (GKIDS) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film   

“The Descendants,” an Ad Hominem Enterprises Production (Fox Searchlight) (5 nominations)
George Clooney - Performance by an actor in a leading role 
Directing   
Film editing 
Best picture 
Adapted screenplay 

“Drive,” a Bold Films, OddLot Entertainment and Marc Platt Production (FilmDistrict) (1 nomination)
Sound editing 

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” a Warner Bros. Pictures Production (Warner Bros.) (2 nominations)
Max von Sydow - Performance by an actor in a supporting role 
Best picture 

“Footnote,” a Footnote Limited Partnership Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Israel)  

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” a Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (5 nominations)
Rooney Mara - Performance by an actress in a leading role 
Cinematography 
Film editing 
Sound editing 
Sound mixing 

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” a Warner Bros. Services UK Ltd. Production
(Warner Bros.) (3 nominations)
Art direction 
Makeup 
Visual effects 

“Hell and Back Again,” a Roast Beef Limited Production (Docurama Films) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature  

“The Help,” a DreamWorks Pictures Production (Touchstone) (4 nominations)
Viola Davis - Performance by an actress in a leading role  
Jessica Chastain - Performance by an actress in a supporting role 
Octavia Spencer - Performance by an actress in a supporting role 
Best picture 

“Hugo,” a Paramount Pictures and GK Films Production (Paramount) (11 nominations)
Art direction 
Cinematography 
Costume design 
Directing 
Film editing 
Original score 
Best picture 
Sound editing 
Sound mixing 
Visual effects 
Adapted screenplay 

“The Ides of March,” a Columbia Pictures and Cross Creek Pictures in association with
Exclusive Media Group and Crystal City Entertainment Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (1 nomination)
Adapted screenplay 

“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,” a Marshall Curry Production
(Oscilloscope Laboratories) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature  

“In Darkness,” a Studio Filmowe Zebra Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Poland) 

“The Iron Lady,” a Weinstein Company/Yuk Films/Pathé/UK Film Council/Canal+/Cine+/
Goldcrest Production (The Weinstein Company) (2 nominations)
Meryl Streep - Performance by an actress in a leading role 
Makeup 

“Jane Eyre,” a Ruby Films Production (Focus Features) (1 nomination)
Costume design 

“Kung Fu Panda 2,” a DreamWorks Animation LLC Production (DreamWorks Animation,
Distributed by Paramount) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film   

“Margin Call,” a Benaroya Pictures and Before The Door Pictures Production         
(Roadside Attractions) (1 nomination)
Original screenplay 

“Midnight in Paris,” a Pontchartrain Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (4 nominations)
Art direction 
Directing 
Best picture 
Original screenplay 

“Moneyball,” a Columbia Pictures Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (6 nominations)
Brad Pitt - Performance by an actor in a leading role 
Jonah Hill - Performance by an actor in a supporting role 
Film editing 
Best picture 
Sound mixing 
Adapted screenplay 

“Monsieur Lazhar,” a micro_scope Production (Music Box Films) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Canada)  

“The Muppets,” a Walt Disney Pictures Production (Walt Disney) (1 nomination)
Original song - "Man or Muppet"  

“My Week with Marilyn,” a Weinstein Company Production (The Weinstein Company) (2 nominations)
Kenneth Branagh - Performance by an actor in a supporting role 
Michelle Williams - Performance by an actress in a leading role 

“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,” an @radical.media Production  (1 nomination)
Documentary feature  

“Pina,” a Neue Road Movies Production (Sundance Selects) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature  

“Puss in Boots,” a DreamWorks Animation LLC Production (DreamWorks Animation,
Distributed by Paramount) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film  

“Rango,” a Paramount Pictures Production (Paramount) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film   

“Real Steel,” a DreamWorks Pictures Production (Touchstone) (1 nomination)
Visual effects 

“Rio,” a Blue Sky Studios Production (20th Century Fox) (1 nomination)
Original song - "Real in Rio" 

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” a 20th Century Fox Production (20th Century Fox) (1 nomination)
Visual effects 

“A Separation,” a Dreamlab Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations)
Best foreign language film (Iran) 
Original screenplay  

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” a Working Title Films Production (Focus Features) (3 nominations)
Gary Oldman - Performance by an actor in a leading role 
Original score 
Adapted screenplay 

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” a Paramount Pictures Production (Paramount) (3 nominations)
Sound editing 
Sound mixing 
Visual effects 

“The Tree of Life,” a River Road Entertainment Production (Fox Searchlight) (3 nominations)
Cinematography 
Directing 
Best picture 

“Undefeated,” a Spitfire Pictures Production (The Weinstein Company) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature  

“W.E.,” a Semtex Films/The Weinstein Company/IM Global Production                              
(The Weinstein Company) (1 nomination)
Costume design 

“War Horse,” a DreamWorks Pictures Production (Touchstone) (6 nominations)
Art direction 
Cinematography 
Original score 
Best picture 
Sound editing 
Sound mixing 

“Warrior,” a Solaris Entertainment and Filmtribe/Lionsgate/Mimran Schur Pictures Production
(Lionsgate) (1 nomination)
Nick Nolte - Performance by an actor in a supporting role 
 
- FEATURE FILMS WITH TWO OR MORE NOMINATIONS -
 (This list does not include Short Films
or Documentary Short Subjects.)

Picture Distribution Company Nominations
“Hugo” Paramount  11
“The Artist” The Weinstein Company 10
“Moneyball” Sony Pictures Releasing  6
“War Horse” Touchstone  6
“The Descendants” Fox Searchlight  5
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Sony Pictures Releasing  5
“The Help” Touchstone 4
“Midnight in Paris” Sony Pictures Classics 4
“Albert Nobbs”  Roadside Attractions 3
“Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows Part 2” Warner Bros. 3
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Focus Features 3
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Paramount 3
“The Tree of Life” Fox Searchlight 3
“Bridesmaids” Universal 2
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Warner Bros. 2
“The Iron Lady” The Weinstein Company 2
“My Week with Marilyn” The Weinstein Company 2
“A Separation” Sony Pictures Classics 2
  
  

Friday, January 20, 2012

Movie Review: One for the Money

One for the Money
Scheduled for release in the US on January 27, 2012
Directed by Julie Anne Robinson
Written by Stacy Sherman , Karen Ray and Liz Brixius (screenplay ) and Janet Evanovich (novel)



Presented by Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment
A Lakeshore Entertainment - Lionsgate - Wendy Finerman production in association with  Sidney Kimmell Entertainment - Abishag Productions.

This film stars Katherine Heigl as a woman who has lost everything: her husband, her job, her apartment and her money. After getting laid off working at Macys as the lingerie department supervisor, she is finding it difficult to get a job. That is until she talks her cousin Vinny into letting her work for him - in the recovery department of his bail bonds business.

This movie was well acted. The characters of Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) as a bounty hunter & Joe Morelli ( Jason O'Mara) as the police officer on the lamb she needs to turn in to get $50,000 were very believable and there was a lot of charisma between them. . Daniel Sunjata as Ranger created a very strong handsome mentor/guardian angel character that is very likable. John Leguizamo as Jimmy Alpha  is a little toned down from other characters he has portrayed, however he does shine throgh at the end. Sherri Shepherd did a terrific job as Lula, a prostitute who helps Plum unravel a mystery. Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur was an exceptional character both endearing and a bit annoying at the same time.

This movie is part romantic comedy, part action adventure, part murder mystery and part crime drama.
The characters are well developed and the movement steady. There is not mch that does not happen for a reason & no dead silence moments. Some of the lines & situations tend to seem a bit contrived, but there is also an air of fantasy over all so it all "works" for the movie. As the movie progresses and the story develops things become complex. There is a bit of  mis-direction in the character and story development. One minute you are watching a cute little comedy & the next people are being shot at. As a matter of fact, there is a lot of shooting, beating & killing in this movie. If you enjoy romantic comedy/action/adventure movies like Bird on a Wire or Jewell of the Nile you should like this one.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

84th Academy Awards Fact Sheet

84th ACADEMY AWARDS® FACT SHEET

©AMPAS

84th Academy Awards Information               
Number of features eligible for Best Picture this year
(84th Academy Awards, 2011) 265
Number of features eligible for Best Picture last year
(83rd Academy Awards, 2010) 248
Number of countries submitting foreign language films 63
Number of voting members 5,783
Number of ushers / ticket takers inside the Kodak
Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® 40
Number of Red Carpet fan bleacher seats 700
Number of people who work in the Oscar® telecast
production office Approx. 300
Number of production vehicles / trailers
(including press and catering) Approx. 100
Number of crew members working during the telecast Approx. 350
Telecast rating and share for 83rd Academy Awards  Rating: 21.1   Share: 33 

How many Americans watched the 83rd Academy
Awards show? (estimate) Average U.S. audience:  37.9 million

Number of countries in which the 84th Oscar telecast
will be seen
                               
More than 225
Estimated global viewership of 84th Academy Awards
show Several hundred million
Number of Oscar statuettes created for 84th
Academy Awards 50
Number of Oscar statuettes given out at the 83rd
Academy Awards

41
Number of competitive award categories for the 84th
Academy Awards 24
 


Awards presented at the Governors Awards on
November 12, 2011 Honorary Awards (Oscar statuettes) to James Earl
Jones and Dick Smith;
Oprah Winfrey received
the Jean Hersholt
Humanitarian Award
(Oscar statuette)


84th ACADEMY AWARDS® FACT SHEET


Academy Awards Press
Number of press organizations requesting credentials
for 84th Academy Awards 916
Total number of press credentials requested for the
84th Academy Awards 6,269
Number of outlets issued credentials for the 83rd
Academy Awards 277
Total number press credentials issued for the 83rd
Academy Awards (including technical personnel)  1,958
Number of still photographers on the red carpet for
the 83rd Academy Awards 87
Number of TV press on the red carpet for the 83rd
Academy Awards, including camera operators, audio
technicians and other crew
318
Number of print reporters on the red carpet for the
83rd Academy Awards 96


The Oscar® Statuette
Total number of Oscar statuettes presented since the
first Academy Awards 2,809 (includes the 3 Oscars®
presented at the
Governors Awards event
on November 12, 2011)
Height of Oscar statuette 131⁄2 inches
Diameter of Oscar statuette base 51⁄4 inches
Weight of Oscar statuette 81⁄2 pounds


















84th ACADEMY AWARDS® FACT SHEET


Oscar® Telecast
Best rating and share in the past 30 years Best rating:  38.0 in 1983
(share: 59)
Latest telecast date in the past 20 years March 30, 1992
(64th Academy Awards)
Earliest telecast date in the past 20 years February 22, 2009
(81st Academy Awards)
Longest Oscar telecast 74th Academy Awards
show, in 2002, with a
running time of 4 hours,
23 minutes
Shortest Oscar telecast 31st Academy Awards
show, in 1959, with a
running time of 1 hour,
40 minutes
Date of first televised show March 19, 1953
(25th Academy Awards)
Date since which ABC has been the broadcaster of
the Academy Awards (uninterrupted)  March 29, 1976 (48th Academy Awards)
Total number of years that ABC has broadcast the
Academy Awards (including this year) 47 (ABC was the broadcaster for a 10-
year stint from the 33rd
to 42nd Academy
Awards, in addition to its
current run)


Oscar Venues
Venue that has hosted the most Academy Awards
presentations Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, with 25 Oscar
shows
Number of Oscar shows hosted at the Kodak Theatre,
including the 84th Academy Awards 11
Seating capacity of the Kodak Theatre on Oscar night 3,300
Length of the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre Approx. 500 feet
Width of the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre Approx. 33 feet







84th ACADEMY AWARDS® FACT SHEET


Miscellaneous Oscar® Trivia
Person who has hosted the most Academy Awards
shows Bob Hope, with 19 host appearances

Oldest Academy Awards show poster in the collection
of the Margaret Herrick Library 32nd Academy Awards show poster (show on
April 4, 1960 honoring
films of 1959)
Size of most common set-dressing Oscar 34 in. diameter (base)
71⁄2 feet tall
65 pounds


Governors Ball
Date of the first Governors Ball March 26, 1958,
following the 30th
Academy Awards
presentation.  Held at the
Beverly Hilton Hotel, in
the Grand Ballroom
Number of Governors Balls, including the 84th
Academy Awards 54
Since 1958 the number of times there has not been a
Governors Ball
1  (40th Academy
Awards) – cancelled
after the assassination of
Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Size of the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland
Center 25,090 square feet

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statuette is a registered trademark and copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienc