Oscar Line Up

78th Annual Academy Awards - List of Winners, Presenters, Performers As the Night Unfolded

Straight from my source at the Kodak Theater, here is the order of tonight's Academy Awards presentation, according to the official program. It will be updated with category presenters and winners throughout the evening as awards are announced.

1. Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role, presented by Nicole Kidman to George Clooney for "Syriana."

2. Achievement In Visual Effects, presented by "green screened" Ben Stiller to Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers and Richard Taylor for "King Kong"

3. Animated Feature Film of the Year, presented by Reese Witherspoon to Nick Park and Steve Box for "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"

PERFORMANCE, introduced by Naomi Watts: Dolly Parton, "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica"

4. Live Action Short Film, presented by Luke and Owen Wilson to Martin McDonagh for "Six Shooter"

5. Animated Short Film, presented by Luke & Owen Wilson and Chicken Little & Abbey Mallard (voiced by Joan Cusack) to John Canemaker and Peggy Stern for "The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation"

6. Achievement In Costume Design, presented by Jennifer Aniston to Colleen Atwood for "Memoirs of a Geisha"

MONTAGE, introduced by Russell Crowe, clips of biographical films

7. Achievement In Makeup, presented by cleverly made up Will Ferrell and Steve Carell to Howard Berger and Tami Lane for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"

INTRODUCTION of Scientific and Technical Awards highlights, by it's host Rachel McAdams.

8. Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role, presented by Morgan Freeman to Rachel Weisz for "The Constant Gardener"

MONTAGE, introduced by previously unannounced presenter Lauren Bacall, in recognition of film noir.

COMEDIC MOMENT, parody of Best Actress Oscar campaigns, voiced by Steven Colbert

9. Documentary Short Subject, presented by Terrence Howard to Corinne Marrinan and Eric Simonson for "A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin"

10. Best Documentary Feature, presented by Charlize Theron to Luc Jacquet and Yves Darondeau for "March of the Penguins"

PERFORMANCE, introduced by Jennifer Lopez: Kathleen (Bird) York, "In the Deep" from "Crash"

11. Achievement In Art Direction, presented by Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves to John Myhre (art direction) and Gretchen Rau (set decoration) for "Memoirs of a Geisha"

MONTAGE, introduced by Samuel L. Jackson, in recognition of social issues addressed in films

BATHROOM BREAK, Academy President Sid Ganis touts the honor of the Academy, 6 major films being filmed right now in New Orleans employing 600 workers.

12. Achievement In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Score), scores PERFORMED by Itzhak Perlman; award presented by Salma Hayek to Gustavo Santaolalla for "Brokeback Mountain"

MONTAGE, introduced by Jake Gyllenhaal, in recognition of film epics.

13. Achievement In Sound Mixing, presented by Jessica Alba and Eric Bana to CHRISTOPHER BOYES, MICHAEL SEMANICK, MICHAEL HEDGES and HAMMOND PEEK for "King Kong"

TRIBUTE & presentation of HONORARY OSCAR, introduced by Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep to Robert Altman

PERFORMANCE, introduced by Chris "Ludacris" Bridges: Taraji Hanson and Three 6 Mafia - Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow"

14. Achievement In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Song), presented by Queen Latifah to Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow"!!!!

COMEDIC MOMENT, parody of Sound Editing Oscar campaign, voiced by Steven Colbert

15. Achievement In Sound Editing, presented by Jennifer Garner to Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn for "King Kong"

IN MEMORIAM TRIBUTE, introduced by George Clooney

16. Foreign Language Film, presented by Will Smith to Gavin Wood for "Tsotsi" (South Africa)

17. Achievement In Film Editing, presented by Ziyi Zhang to Hughes Winborne for "Crash"

18. Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role, presented by Hilary Swank to Philip Seymour Hoffman for "Capote"

19. Achievement In Cinematography, presented by John Travolta to Dion Beebe for "Memoirs of a Geisha"

20. Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role, presented by Jamie Foxx to Reese Witherspoon for "Walk the Line"

21. Adapted Screenplay, presented by Dustin Hoffman to Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for "Brokeback Mountain"

22. Original Screenplay, presented by Uma Thurman to Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco for "Crash" 

23. Achievement In Directing, presented by Tom Hanks to Ang Lee for "Brokeback Mountain"

24. Best Motion Picture of the Year, presented by Jack Nicholson to Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman for "Crash"

COMMENTS: What is the purpose of the music playing along while the nervous winners are trying to give their speech? (Update - winners I talked to said they did not notice the music in the background while they were on stage). Maybe it was for the enjoyment of the viewing audience (?)

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Oscar Picks

78th Annual Academy Awards - Our Picks

I've received feedback from people asking what our Oscar ballot looks like. I don't profess to be an expert - I leave the prognosticating to the Tom O'Neil's of the world - but to satisfy those requests, here are my picks. Some are based on previous wins, some from newly felt momentum, a few are simply wishful thinking, the rest are based on nothing but gut instinct. We'll print the actual winners after they are revealed tonight.

Update 8:30 p.m. - "my winners" are noted in red. And I'm proud to have correctly predicted 16 of 24 categories : > )

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
"Crash" Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman, producers

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Matt Dillon, "Crash"
(award went to George Clooney for "Syriana")

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
"Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" Nick Park, Steve Box

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
"Memoirs of a Geisha" John Myhre (art direction); Gretchen Rau (set decoration)

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Good Night, and Good Luck" Robert Elswit
(award went to Dion Beebe for "Memoirs of a Geisha")

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
"Memoirs of a Geisha" Colleen Atwood

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"March of the Penguins" Luc Jacquet, Yves Darondeau

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club" Dan Krauss
(winners Corinne Marrinan, Eric Simonson for "A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin")

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
"Crash" Hughes Winborne

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Joyeux Noël" (France)
(award went to Gavin Wood for "Tsotsi" (South Africa))

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Howard Berger, Tami Lane

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (Original Score)
"Brokeback Mountain" Gustavo Santaolalla

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (Original Song)
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow," music and lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, Paul Beauregard

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"One Man Band" Andrew Jimenez, Mark Andrews
(winners John Canemaker, Peggy Stern for "The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation")

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Ausreisser (The Runaway)" Ulrike Grote
(award went to Martin McDonagh for "Six Shooter")

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
"War of the Worlds" Richard King
(winners Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryn for "King Kong")

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
"King Kong" Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
"King Kong" Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers, Richard Taylor

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"Capote" - screenplay by Dan Futterman
(winners Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana for "Brokeback Mountain")

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Crash" - screenplay by Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco; story by Paul Haggis 

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Oscar Red Carpet

Oscar Countdown 2006 Co-Hosts, Official Red Carpet Celebrity Greeter

Oscar® Countdown 2006 Co-Hosts

Billy Bush, Chris Connelly, Cynthia Garrett and Vanessa Minnillo have been set to co-host the Academy's hour-long red carpet arrivals show "Oscar Countdown 2006" preceding the 78th Academy Awards®. This is the seventh Oscar Night® association for Connelly, the third for Bush, and the first for Garrett and Minnillo. Each correspondent will be trying to capture the thoughts, nervousness and excitement of the nominees as they proceed down the red carpet to what may be one of the most exciting nights of their lives.

Bush is co-anchor of "Access Hollywood." He joined the program in December 2001 as the east coast correspondent and became the co-anchor in June of 2004.

Connelly is a correspondent for ESPN and a contributing correspondent for "20/20." Prior to ESPN, he was an on-air correspondent and editorial director of MTV News.

Garrett was most recently seen as co-host of "Life & Style" and can be seen regularly on HBO. Prior to joining "Life & Style," she spent four years with VH1, where she began her on camera career.

Minnillo is a recent addition to the Entertainment Tonight family as a New York-based correspondent. She also serves as a co-host for MTV's "Total Request Live" and has hosted several MTV specials.

The pre-show will be produced by Dennis Doty and executive produced by Gil Cates. It will air on ABC Television at 4 p.m. PST/ 7 p.m. EST and will segue directly into the 78th Academy Awards presentation at 5 p.m.

 

Robert Osborne to Serve as Academy's Red Carpet Celebrity Greeter

Film historian, television host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne has been selected as the Academy's 2006 red carpet celebrity greeter, Academy President Sid Ganis announced.

Osborne will step into the slot occupied for the past four decades by Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd, who has stepped down and this year will himself be a celebrity guest of the Academy at the 78th Academy Awards.

In addition to writing a column for the Hollywood Reporter, Osborne is the prime time host of Turner Classic Movies and a frequent host of Academy events, both in New York and Los Angeles. In addition, he is the author of the Academy's official history, "75 Years of the Oscar" and hosts Robert Osborne's Classic Film Festival in Athens, Georgia.

"Robert Osborne's taking over this important Oscar night slot is perfect," Ganis said. "He' s a man personally familiar with today's stars, but with a historian's knowledge of the movies and the Oscar ceremonies."

"Army became an institution on our red carpet," Ganis added. "He had done it for so long that no one, including Army, is sure when he started or how long he has introduced celebrities to the bleacher crowds. We don't even have a name for it — it's always been 'the Army Archerd position.'

"But it's a vital position, very important to the creation of an atmosphere of excitement that pervades the Academy Awards red carpet experience. Each time another celebrity arrives and is introduced, a collective roar from the bleacher fans adds another visceral jolt to those arriving on the carpet. We think we've found just the person in Robert Osborne to continue that long tradition for us."

Osborne will be on the carpet for the duration of celebrity arrivals, which are expected to begin about 3 p.m. and conclude at the start of the Oscar telecast at 5 p.m.

Text, photo courtesy AMPAS ©2006

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Oscar Stage Design

2006 Oscar Stage Set

78th Academy Awards® Telecast producer Gil Cates and production designer Roy Christopher recently revealed the set design of the March 5 Oscar telecast.

"When designing the Oscars, I try to make the current show as different from the year before as possible," said Christopher. "Last year's show was distinguished by a hi-tech, 'cutting-edge' style. So this year, there's nothing hi-tech -- it's a no-holds-barred return to classic Hollywood glamour, paying homage to old movie theaters." "I wanted to celebrate the movies and to include great movie houses and screens," said Cates. "So Roy went back to the classic ornate movie houses for his inspiration, which, I think, is superbly reflected in the final design."

"I have always loved the movie theaters of the '30s, '40s and '50s," Christopher said. "The man who designed many of them was S. Charles Lee, who was remarkably imaginative and architecturally daring, making movie theaters in styles ranging from the ornate Hollywood baroque to the sleek art-moderne. His spaces were exciting places that upon entering made you feel that something extraordinary was going to happen."

That anticipation of what is about to happen is exactly what Christopher hopes the Academy Awards audience and the millions watching at home will experience on Oscar night. His homage to the world of movie theater design comes complete with a 65-foot-long giant "Oscar" marquee, a pair of 20-foot-tall frosted glass Oscars, an art deco box-office and several movie screens ranging from the elegant movie palace traditional to the gigantic wide-screen deco.

This is the 17th time that Christopher has designed the Oscar set, 11 with telecast producer Gil Cates. Christopher has received 35 Emmy nominations, 16 of them for his work on the Oscar telecast, for which he has won six Emmy Awards.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m. Information about the 78th Annual Academy Awards can be accessed on line at www.oscar.com.

Text, photo courtesy AMPAS ©2006

Oscar Presenters, Performers and Parties

The Oscars

The day is finally here! The 78th Annual Academy Awards will be handed out at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. The Daily Show's Jon Stewart will host this year's grand ceremony (his invitation seems to have been widely embraced by the public, and might even help ol' Gil Cates finally achieve his goal of improving viewership!) Oscar nominations were announced January 31, 2006 (see below).

Following tradition, last year's Best Actress Hilary Swank, Best Actor Jamie Foxx, Best Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman and Best Director Clint Eastwood will be presenters at the 78th Oscars Presentation. Unfortunately, last year's Best Supporting Actress Cate Blanchett will be unable to fulfill the tradition this year because she's playing the title role in a stage production of "Hedda Gabler" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Bana, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Steve Carell, Gorgeous George Clooney, Will Ferrell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hanks, Selma Hayek, Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Rachel McAdams, Jack Nicholson, Queen Latifah, Keanu Reeves, Will Smith, Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller, Charlize Theron, Lily Tomlin, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Naomi Watts, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Ziyi Zhang will also present the prestigious Academy Award.

Director / producer / writer Robert Altman will receive an honorary Oscar to commemorate "a career that has repeatedly reinvented the art form and inspired filmmakers and audiences alike."

Dolly Parton will perform her nominated original song, "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica." Ms. Parton wrote both the music and lyrics for the song. Kathleen "Bird" York will perform "In the Deep" from the film "Crash," for which she is nominated for writing the music and lyrics (co-composer Michael Becker also is nominated for the music.) Jordon "Juicy J" Houston, Paul "DJ Paul" Beauregard and Darnell "Crunchy Black" Carlton of the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia will also perform at the 78th Academy Awards. Beauregard and Houston, who are nominated for writing the music and lyrics for "It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow," will perform their nominated song with group mate Carlton and actress Taraji Henson, who sang the hook in the film. Cedric "Frayser Boy" Coleman, who is nominated with Beauregard and Houston, will also perform. The song will be the first rap song ever performed on the telecast in the history of the Academy Awards.

The show will be broadcast on ABC at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET. It will be preceded by ABC's "official" red carpet coverage, as well as day long coverage on the E! Entertainment Television Network.

And while Gil Cates has said he won't be repeating last year's presentation fiasco, he isn't exactly planning to return the awards presentation back to it's traditional format. Once again, in the interest of saving time, Cates will be rounding up the nominees in the artistic (otherwise known as technical) categories to play a game of musical chairs with them during commercial breaks. The nominees will be temporarily placed in the first rows of the Kodak Theater, so that the winners can sprint to the stage to accept the award. Cates has already advised these nominees that, if they want their full 60 seconds of fame, they are not to bring out any paper to read from or even stumble during their speeches. Any fumbling will cause Bill Conti to cue up the orchestra and end the winner's moment in the spotlight. The Academy has taken every measure to make sure that this year's traditionally lengthy Oscar speeches go off without a hitch - along with the nominee's tickets to the Oscars, every nominee received a 15 minute DVD, narrated by Tom Hanks, featuring examples of "good" speeches vs. "bad speeches" from previous year's Academy Awards ceremonies.

Official websites: Oscar.com / Oscar.org / Oscar.org Academy Awards

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Oscar Nominations

The 78th Annual Academy Award Nominees:

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
"Brokeback Mountain" Diana Ossana, James Schamus, producers
"Capote" Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven, producers
"Crash" Paul Haggis, Cathy Schulman, producers
"Good Night, and Good Luck" Grant Heslov, producer
"Munich" Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, Barry Mendel, producers

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
George Clooney, "Good Night, and Good Luck"
Paul Haggis, "Crash"
Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain"
Bennett Miller, "Capote"
Steven Spielberg, "Munich"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"
Terrence Howard, "Hustle & Flow"
Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk the Line"
David Strathairn, "Good Night, and Good Luck"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Judi Dench, "Mrs. Henderson Presents"
Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica"
Keira Knightley, "Pride & Prejudice"
Charlize Theron, "North Country"
Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
George Clooney, "Syriana"
Matt Dillon, "Crash"
Paul Giamatti, "Cinderella Man"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Brokeback Mountain"
William Hurt, "A History of Violence"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams, "Junebug"
Catherine Keener, "Capote"
Frances McDormand, "North Country"
Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"
Michelle Williams, "Brokeback Mountain"

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
"Howl's Moving Castle" Hayao Miyazaki
"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" Tim Burton, Mike Johnson
"Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" Nick Park, Steve Box

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
"Good Night, and Good Luck" Jim Bissell (art direction); Jan Pascale (set decoration)
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" Stuart Craig (art direction); Stephenie McMillan (set decoration)
"King Kong" Grant Major (art direction); Dan Hennah and Simon Bright (set decoration)
"Memoirs of a Geisha" John Myhre (art direction); Gretchen Rau (set decoration)
"Pride & Prejudice" Sarah Greenwood (art direction); Katie Spencer (set decoration)

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Batman Begins" Wally Pfister
"Brokeback Mountain" Rodrigo Prieto
"Good Night, and Good Luck" Robert Elswit
"Memoirs of a Geisha" Dion Beebe
"The New World" Emmanuel Lubezki

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Gabriella Pescucci
"Memoirs of a Geisha" Colleen Atwood
"Mrs. Henderson Presents" Sandy Powell
"Pride & Prejudice" Jacqueline Durran
"Walk the Line" Arianne Phillips

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Darwin's Nightmare" Hubert Sauper
"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" Alex Gibney, Jason Kliot
"March of the Penguins" Luc Jacquet, Yves Darondeau
"Murderball" Henry-Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
"Street Fight" Marshall Curry

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club" Dan Krauss
"God Sleeps in Rwanda" Kimberlee Acquaro, Stacy Sherman
"The Mushroom Club" Steven Okazaki
"A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin" Corinne Marrinan, Eric Simonson

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
"Cinderella Man" Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"The Constant Gardener" Claire Simpson
"Crash" Hughes Winborne
"Munich" Michael Kahn
"Walk the Line" Michael McCusker

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Don't Tell" (Italy)
"Joyeux Noël" (France)
"Paradise Now" (Palestine)
"Sophie Scholl - The Final Days" (Germany)
"Tsotsi" (South Africa)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Howard Berger, Tami Lane
"Cinderella Man" David Leroy Anderson, Lance Anderson
"Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" Dave Elsey, Nikki Gooley

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (Original Score)
"Brokeback Mountain" Gustavo Santaolalla
"The Constant Gardener" Alberto Iglesias
"Memoirs of a Geisha" John Williams
"Munich" John Williams
"Pride & Prejudice" Dario Marianelli

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (Original Song)
"In the Deep" from "Crash," music by Kathleen (Bird) York, Michael Becker; lyric by York
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow," music and lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, Paul Beauregard
"Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica," music and lyric by Dolly Parton

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"Badgered" Sharon Colman
"The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation" John Canemaker, Peggy Stern
"The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello" Anthony Lucas
"9" Shane Acker
"One Man Band" Andrew Jimenez, Mark Andrews

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Ausreisser (The Runaway)" Ulrike Grote
"Cashback" Sean Ellis, Lene Bausager
"The Last Farm" Rúnar Rúnarsson, Thor S. Sigurjónsson
"Our Time Is Up" Rob Pearlstein, Pia Clemente
"Six Shooter" Martin McDonagh

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
"King Kong" Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryn
"Memoirs of a Geisha" Wylie Stateman
"War of the Worlds" Richard King

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Terry Porter, Dean A. Zupancic, Tony Johnson
"King Kong" Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek
"Memoirs of a Geisha" Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell, Rick Kline, John Pritchett
"Walk the Line" Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill, Peter F. Kurland
"War of the Worlds" Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Ronald Judkins

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney, Scott Farrar
"King Kong" Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers, Richard Taylor
"War of the Worlds" Dennis Muren, Pablo Helman, Randy Dutra, Daniel Sudick

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"Brokeback Mountain" - screenplay by Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana
"Capote" - screenplay by Dan Futterman
"The Constant Gardener" - screenplay by Jeffrey Caine
"A History of Violence" - screenplay by Josh Olson
"Munich" - screenplay by Tony Kushner, Eric Roth

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Crash" - screenplay by Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco; story by Paul Haggis
"Good Night, and Good Luck" - screenplay by George Clooney, Grant Heslov
"Match Point" - written by Woody Allen
"The Squid and the Whale" - written by Noah Baumbach
"Syriana" - written by Stephen Gaghan

 

TRIVIA:

This year's nominations represent the first time since 1981 that the Directing and Best Picture nominations have honored exactly the same five pictures.

A change in the Original Song rules for 2005, imposing a minimum required scoring average for nomination, accounts for the nomination of just three songs in the category.

This is the first time since the Animated Feature category was inaugurated in 2001 that none of the nominees was produced primarily by CGI techniques.

Three pictures, one in each of the three categories for short films, won 2005 Student Academy Awards: "9" in Animated Shorts, "Ausreisser" (The Runaway) in Live Action Shorts and "The Death of Kevin Carter" in the Documentary Short Subject category.

This is the first time in Academy history that a nominee in the Directing category - George Clooney for "Good Night, and Good Luck" - is also nominated in one of the acting categories for a different film ("Syriana").

John Williams' two nominations this year in the Original Score category (for "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Munich") are his 44th and 45th Academy Award nominations, putting him in first place in total nominations in the Music categories, breaking a previous tie with Alfred Newman. He also moves into second place in terms of nominations overall, his total individual nominations now second only to Walt Disney's 59.

Ang Lee, nominated this year in the Directing category for the English-language "Brokeback Mountain," received his first Directing nomination for the foreign language film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

14 of the 20 acting nominees are first-time nominees. Of the other six who previously received nominations, four are Oscar winners: William Hurt, Judi Dench, Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand.

Release Dates of Best Picture nominees:

"Brokeback Mountain" - December 9
"Capote" - September 30
"Crash" - May 6
"Good Night, and Good Luck". - October 7
"Munich" - December 23

Courtesy: AMPAS

Saturday Oscar Parties

The Day Before the Oscars Big Party

Today marked the 13th Annual Oscar luncheon hosted by Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg at their magnificent Coldwater Canyon home. Also taking place this afternoon, the after-party at Shutters in Santa Monica, celebrating the achievements of nominees and winners at today's Independent Spirit Awards. It's a good thing the Spirit Awards wrapped up early, because the Weinsteins are hosting an early evening cocktail party at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, allowing stars plenty of time to change into their designer duds before hitting Jeffrey Katzenberg's Fourth Annual Night Before Party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, with proceeds benefiting the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Focus Features is holding a nominee party at Eat on Sunset, and a special reception is being held for honorary Oscar recipient Robert Altman at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

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Independent Spirit Awards

Independent Spirit Celebrated in Santa Monica

The 21st Film Independent Spirit Awards will be celebrated Saturday, March 4th, on the beach in Santa Monica, California. Sarah Silverman.has been invited to host this year's event and Naomi Watts serves as honorary chair. The short list of celebrity presenters includes Terrence Howard, Lisa Kudrow, Laura Linney, Sandra Oh, Jeremy Piven and Rachel Weisz.

Films competing for Best Feature recognition are "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "The Squid and the Whale," and "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada." "Crash" competes in the Best First Feature category against "Lackawanna Blues," "Me and You and Everyone We Know," "Thumbsucker," and "Transamerica." Visit IMDb.com for the complete list of nominations for the 2006 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were announced by Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney on November 29, 2005.

The red carpet pre-show airs live on the WE Channel at 1:30 pm PT / 4:30 pm ET. The colorful awards ceremony will air live and uncensored on the Independent Film Channel at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET. If you miss the live show, you can watch the edited rebroadcast on AMC tomorrow night at 10 pm ET/PT and on IFC Sunday.

Other award ceremonies taking place Saturday include the Motion Picture Sound Editors MPSE Golden Reel Awards, the Razzie Awards and the Soul Train Music Awards. Visit our awards calendar for more details about these events.

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Friday Oscar Parties

The Day Before the Day Before the Oscars Big Party

Hollywood, Beverly Hills and all of Los Angeles will be blanketed with stars tonight, as celebs continue the round of pre-Oscar parties. In addition to the Global Green party, there will be a number of private parties throughout the city. Some of the biggest parties are thrown by agents at their homes, including CAA's Bryan Lourd, ICM's Ed Limato and Endeavor's Ariel Emanuel. Billy Crystal, Claire Danes, Mel Gibson, Steve Martin and Denzel Washington are just a few A-List guests expected at Limato's estate in Beverly Hills.

The studios will also be celebrating their Oscar nominees tonight. Universal Studios will once again hold their fete at Spago in Beverly Hills; newcomers Benderspink will hold court at the Reel Lounge in honor of "A History of Violence." The Warner Bros. party at the Bel-Air Hotel will host talent from "Syriana," "North Country," "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Batman Begins," "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "March of the Penguins," "Paradise Now," and "Good Night and Good Luck." The New Zealand Film Council hosts their annual dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

These are just a few of the parties that have been publicized. Dozens more low key parties will be scattered throughout the city. Just follow the paparazzi to find them.

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Global Green Oscar Party

Hollywood Goes Green for Pre-Oscar Party

Celebrities make an environmental statement tonight by attending the annual Global Green USA Oscar Party at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre. The party benefits Global Green's global warming initiatives, including the green rebuilding of New Orleans. It kicks off at 8:00 pm at 6126 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood.

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti will chauffeur Global Green supporter Kate Bosworth to the Green Carpet in his own electric car. Additional celebrity attendees will arrive in a variety of alternative fueled vehicles including Honda Civics powered by natural gas, Ford Hybrid Escapes, Toyota's electric RAV 4's and various biodiesel cars.

"I say we should all walk or rent bikes, but that would determine a new and interesting Oscar dress code," suggested Academy Award winner and current nominee Frances McDormand (Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe did just that a few years ago, when they rode bikes to attend the Independent Spirit Awards on the beach in Santa Monica!).

Oscar nominee David Strathairn offered, "I think we all should do whatever we can to use environmentally friendly products."

Those expected to walk the symbolic "green carpet" covered by a solar powered tent include Elizabeth Banks, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Aaron Carter, Nick Carter, Kristin Cavallari, Chevy Chase, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Clifton Collins Jr., James Cromwell, Julie Delpy, Stephen Dorff, Sara Foster, Walton Goggins, Daryl Hannah, Lukas Haas, Kelly Hu, Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, Justin Kirk, Mila Kunis, Sharon Lawrence, Bai Ling, Jon Lovitz, Anthony Mackie, Kate Mara, Radha Mitchell, Rhona Mitra, Shamar Moore, Mekhi Phifer, Kelly Rutherford, Jean Smart, Bahar Soomekh, George Stultz, Brian Tee, Paz Vega, Jenna Vewan, Ken Watanabe, Ray Wise, Alicia Witt and many others.

The celebrities join over 1,000 Global Green supporters for a sold-out concert emceed by Pras Michel of the Fugees, featuring performances by Liz Phair, Money Mark, Fishbone, Tracy Lyons, and DJs Senor Amor and Peanut Butter Wolf.

The party kicks-off Global Green's "Red Carpet, Green Cars" Oscar campaign, where celebrities arrive at the Academy Awards in environmentally friendly vehicles instead of gas-guzzling limousines. This year, Global Green's Red Carpet, Green Cars campaign will feature celebrities including Naomi Watts, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Felicity Huffman, Paul Giamatti, Will Ferrell, Paul Haggis, Frances McDormand and David Strathairn. In fact, there will be so many hybrids and alternative-fueled vehicles driving celebrities to the awards show Oscar valet services have had to dedicate a special area for parking them all at the Hollywood Bowl during the ceremony.

Global Green USA, the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International led by Mikhail S. Gorbachev, works in cooperation with individuals, industry, and governments to create a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future. For more information, please visit www.globalgreen.org.

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LA Confidential Oscar Party

LA's Confidential Oscar Party

Los Angeles Confidential Magazine will host their 4th Annual Academy Awards Party on Thursday, March 2nd at the SKYBAR at the Mondrian Hotel. The magazine is also celebrating its cover of Oscar nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman. The celebration will be attended by a host of A-List personalities from film, television, and music including "Crash" star and fellow Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon, Babyface, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Naomi Campbell, Ludacris, Dennis Hopper, Paris Hilton, Larry and Shawn King, Famke Janssen, Helena Christensen, John Salley, Darren Starr, Natalie Cole, Finola Hughes, Daisy Fuentes, Bai Ling, Byron Allen, and more.

The cocktail reception starts at 6:30 p.m. where guests will enjoy the hospitality of the Morgans Hotel Group as well as cocktails sponsored by Hendrix Electric while being entertained by world renowned DJ Johnny Knight and his special blend of hip hop, top 40, rap, and rock beats.

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