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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers may be considered the worst of Peter Jackson's initial trilogy, but it still earned a significant number of Oscar nominations. Much of The Two Towers' legacy is underwhelming only by comparison, but few would ever say that it is not a magnificent movie. The Lord of the Rings timeline is essentially a single, very long adventure, as this is how J. R. R. Tolkien wrote the source material. The result is that the individual movies do not differ much in tone.

While The Two Towers isn't favorably compared to the installments that preceded and followed it, the sequel also faced significant competition from other movies at the 75th Academy Awards. This was a year when one of the best movie musicals to win Best Picture arose, as well as another Martin Scorsese crime drama. Therefore, a handful of movies competed...

On Wednesday, jurors in the National Rifle Association fraud trial in Manhattan heard testimony about a secret $1 million-per-year contract that was paid to NRA President Oliver North in 2018. The contract was not disclosed to the board of directors.

Previous NRA presidents had been unpaid, so the contract raised eyebrows internally.

North butted heads with NRA CEO Wayne Lapierre, and North resigned abruptly in April 2019, alleging that there were financial improprieties at the nonprofit group.

During a board meeting in Irving, Texas, Lapierre announced his departure from the gun rights group a few weeks ago.

The 74-year-old cited health reasons for his decision.

Lapierre is a co-defendant along with the NRA in a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James after accusing the organization of corruption. James is seeking to disband the group and make it pay financial penalties.

James claims that Lapierre has used millions of dollars from...

Ceremony set for February 23.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Thursday that 16 scientific and technical achievements will be honoured at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony at the Academy on February 23.

“The Academy recognises and celebrates all aspects of the film industry and the diverse, talented people who make movies,” said CEO Bill Kramer. “Our Scientific and Technical Awards are a critical part of this mission, as they honor the individuals and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to our motion picture industry.”

Barbara Ford Grant, chair of the...

Advances in theatrical exhibition will be among 16 achievements that will be recognized during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards presentation Feb. 23 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

“This year, we honor 16 technologies for their exceptional contributions to how we craft and enhance the movie experience, from the safe execution of on-set special effects to new levels of image presentation fidelity and immersive sound to open frameworks that enable artists to share their digital creations across different software and studios seamlessly,” summed up SciTech Awards committee chair Barbara Ford Grant.

Those receiving Scientific and Engineering Awards (Academy Plaques) during the ceremony will be the creators of the Dolby Atmos object-based immersive cinema sound system. The Academy will recognize Charles Q. Robinson, Nicolas Tsingos, Christophe Chabanne, Mark Vinton and the team of software, hardware and implementation engineers of the Cinema Audio Group at Dolby Laboratories.

Let the techies be rewarded.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today revealed the 16 sci-tech achievements that will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony next month. See the full list below.

Achievements marked for Sci-Technical Awards need not have been developed and introduced during a specified period but must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures, per AMPAS.

“Each year, a global group of technology practitioners and experts sets out to examine the extraordinary tools and techniques employed in the creation of motion pictures,” said Barbara Ford Grant, chair of the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, which oversees the vetting of the awards. “This year, we honor 16 technologies for their exceptional contributions to how we craft and enhance the movie experience, from the safe execution of on-set special effects to new levels of image...

After 40 years in Hollywood, veteran lens and optical systems designer Iain Neil received a standing ovation as he accepted the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, an Oscar statuette, Friday evening at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards presentation.

This capped a celebratory gathering of the close-knit entertainment technology community, where 20 innovators were honored during a ceremony in the Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. At her first SciTech Awards ceremony and the first in-person SciTech presentation since 2019, Academy president Janet Yang opened the show, noting that the Museum was “a fitting venue for our triumphant return.” She told the SciTech community, “I’m in awe of the work you do.”

Due to the stormy L.A. weather, the buffet dinner and after-party were moved from the Dolby Family Terrace to the 5th-floor tea room — and appropriately, the first honorees of the evening...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has today named the eight scientific and technical achievements, on the part of 19 individuals, to be honored at its Scientific and Technical Awards presentation for 2023, which is taking place in-person for the first time since 2019 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on February 24.

Technical Achievement Award recipients, set to be honored with Academy Certificates, include Howard Jensen, Danny Cangemi, John Frazier, Mark Hills, Jim Vanns, Matt Chambers, Sébastien Deguy, Christophe Soum, Sylvain Paris, Nicolas Wirrmann, David Eberle, Theodore Kim, Fernando de Goes and Audrey Wong.

Jensen, Cangemi and Frazier will be recognized for their contributions to Rain-Bar technology for the generating of practical rain on set; Hills and Vanns, for their design and engineering of the Fq render farm management system; Chambers, for his contributions to modern render farm management system design; Deguy, Soum, Paris and Wirmann, for their work on...

Recipients to attend first in-person ceremony in four years.

The Academy announced eight scientific and technical achievements represented by 19 individual award recipients will be honoured at its first in-person annual Scientific and Technical Awards in four years on February 24.

The ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will also see Iain Neil receive the Gordon E. Sawyer Award (an Oscar statuette) for “his extraordinary technological contributions that have brought credit to the industry”.

The Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements appear below. All synopses adapted from Academy wording:

Technical Achievement Awards (Academy Certificates)

To Howard Jensen and Danny Cangemi...

Eight scientific and technical achievements represented by 19 individual award recipients will be honored at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards presentation on Feb. 24 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Also during the SciTech Awards, which will take place in person for the first time since 2019, veteran lens designer Iain Neil will receive the Gordon E. Sawyer Award (an Oscar statuette) for his “substantial, extensive and innovative lens designs which have had lasting impact in motion picture cinematography.” Additionally, Ryan Laney will receive an award of commendation (special plaque) for his inventive use of AI-driven facial technology to give subjects a digital “disguise” to protect the identities while preserving their facial emotion in documentary filmmaking, as seen in 2020’s Welcome to Chechnya.

Scientific and Engineering awards (Academy plaques) will be presented to Larry Barton and Ben Wilcox for the cinematography electronics CineTape distance measurement...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced that it will present eight awards at the annual Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony on Feb. 24. 19 individuals will be awarded in the event’s first in-person ceremony since 2019.

Iain Neil will also receive the Gorden E. Sawyer Award at the event, honoring his technological contributions to the film industry.

“Since 1931, the Academy has recognized the most important innovations in filmmaking; inventors and engineers have been advancing the art and science of motion pictures ever since,” said chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee Barbara Ford Grant in a statement. “This year we honor achievements spanning accomplishments from pioneering methods in practical rain effects to career-long contributions in optical design for cinematography to humanistic-driven AI techniques.”

Award recipients are as follows:

Technical Achievement Awards (Academy Certificates)

Howard Jensen and Danny Cangemi for the concept and creation of rain bars John Frazier...

Wes Craven’s getting a 4K Ultra HD workout this year, what with his monster hit Scream arriving in 4K last month. This 1977 franchise-starter is a down & dirty slaughter-fest out in the desert, with bloody jeopardy its one and only reason for being. It can attest that it was quite a nail-biting experience in the theater, and we know this show has a legion of fans — think of the hundreds of films that imitate its concept. Starring Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer, Dee Wallace, Russ Grieve, John Steadman and Michael Berryman.

The Hills Have Eyes

4K Ultra HD

Arrow Video

1977 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date November 23, 2021 / Available from Amazon / 59.95

Starring: Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer, Dee Wallace, Russ Grieve, John Steadman, Michael Berryman, Virginia Vincent, James Whitworth.

Cinematography: Eric Saarinen

Art Director: Robert Burns

Special Effects: Greg Auer, John Frazier

Film Editor: Wes Craven

Original Music: Don...

Hong Kong’s highest grossing director, Dante Lam, will soon be releasing his next action-packed film, “The Rescue“. Arriving in theaters just in time for the holiday season, the film chronicles a Chinese rescue team’s death-defying mission to save survivors of a fiery offshore catastrophe. Comprised of men of women from various backgrounds and led by a maverick captain (played by heartthrob and action star Eddie Peng), the unit must set aside their differences to face escalating challenges across air, land and sea. In addition to Peng, the film’s ensemble cast includes Xin Zhilei (Crosscurrent) and Wang Yanlin (Operation Red Sea).

The Rescue is, to date, the largest Chinese film production set at sea. Many water scenes were filmed at Mexico’s Baja Studios facilities, which was first built in 1996 for James Cameron when he filmed his epic “Titanic.” The Rescue used the studios’ largest tank, which has...

The Rescue is the first film to showcase the China Rescue & Salvage (Crs), a lesser-known division of the Chinese Coast Guard. Founded in 1951, the unit is charged with responding to all maritime emergencies on Chinese waters, which range from shipwreck salvage missions to marine firefighting.

The film will hit theaters across the US December 18.

Boasting one of the biggest budgets ever for a Chinese film at $100 million, the stunt- and pyrotechnic-filled spectacle features an A-list Hollywood production team that includes Academy Award-winning cinematographer Peter Pau, production designer Martin Laing and special effects supervisor John Frazier. The film also stars major Chinese and Taiwanese talent, including Eddie Peng (“The Great Wall”), Wang Yanlin, Xin Zhilei, and Lan Yingying (“Pacific Rim Uprising”).

Check out the official trailer here:...

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit on Thursday to dissolve the National Rifle Association, accusing the powerful gun rights lobby of engaging in a pattern of self-dealing to benefit its leaders.

In the hours before her press conference, there was wild speculation of what she planned, as her office had informed members of the media of a pending “major national announcement.”

The lawsuit — read it here — singles out the longtime leader of the NRA, Wayne Lapierre, as well as current and former senior executives Wilson “Woody” Phillips, Joshua Powell and John Frazier. The suit claims that Lapierre has diverted millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization, at the cost of core services like gun safety, education and training. Among other things, the lawsuit claims that Lapierre and his associates used NRA reserves for personal use, including trips to the Bahamas, private jets and expensive meals.

The Rescue is one of the most anticipated Chinese release of the year, and the latest action thriller from legendary director Dante Lam, whose films Operation Mekong and Operation Red Sea were stellar box office hits in China and internationally. Released in time for Chinese New Year through Cmc, distributor of global phenomenon The Wandering Earth, the film hits cinemas across the UK day and date with China on 25 January.

The first Chinese film to focus on China’s Coast Guard rescue organisation, The Rescue has an all-star cast of top Chinese talent including Eddie Peng (Operation Mekong), Wang Yanlin (Operation Red Sea), Xin Zhilei (Brotherhood of Blades) and Lan Yingying (Pacific Rim Uprising).

The film is one of the biggest Chinese productions of recent years, with a budget of over 700 million Rmb, shot on location in China and with underwater scenes shot at the world-famous Baja Studios in Mexico,...

In a major validation for Sony and Marvel, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” has won the Academy Award for animated feature for Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

While accepting the award, Lord celebrated what the representation in the movie meant for many. “When we hear that somebody’s kid was watching the movie and turned to them and said, ‘He looks like me,’ or ‘They speak Spanish like us,’ we feel like we already won.”

Sunday’s win capped a strong awards season run for the film, which won the top animated film honor at the Annies, Golden Globes, BAFTA and Producers Guild Awards. It’s one of the biggest awards to date for a title based on Marvel characters, along with “Big Hero 6,” which also won the animated feature trophy in 2015.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” centers on 13-year-old Brooklynite Miles Morales, who becomes one of many Spider-Men,...

Arrow Video digs its sharp talons into Wes Craven's dirt 'n' Bowie Knife slaughter-fest horror picture, yet another strange travel advisory not to go anywhere, 'cause strangers might be cannibals. But hey, the movie works, and like much of Craven's filmography, it sticks its neck way out into dangerous territory. The Hills Have Eyes Blu-ray Arrow Video (Us) 1977 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date October 11, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer, Dee Wallace, Russ Grieve, John Steadman, Michael Berryman, Virginia Vincent, James Whitworth Cinematography Eric Saarinen Art Direction Robert Burns Film Editor Wes Craven Original Music Don Peake Special Effects Greg Auer, John Frazier Produced by Peter Locke Written and Directed by Wes Craven

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

With Wes Craven now passed on, we're left with the situation of a modern American horror director with an extremely successful body of work for analysis. Both an educator and a sometime adult filmmaker,...

'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' poster. With Daniel Radcliffe. Rupert Grint. Emma Watson. 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' quiz question: Does state-of-the-art CGI equal movie magic? (Oscar Movie Series) Alfonso Cuarón seems like an odd choice for director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third installment in the Harry Potter movie series. That is, if one thinks only of Cuarón's pre-Harry Potter sleeper hit, the François Truffaut-esque Y tu mamá también, while ignoring two of his earlier efforts, the critically acclaimed A Little Princess and the moderately respected Great Expectations. This time around, working with a reported $130 million budget (approx. $163 million in 2015), state-of-the-art special effects, and the Harry Potter franchise, Cuarón surely could do no wrong. At the box office, that is. For although Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is stylistically superior to Chris Columbus' previous work in the series,...

The fifth film in Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" series has begun filming. Here's the press release the company issued today to celebrate the news which also includes a detailed new synopsis. Here's the press release in full:

Queens Land, Australia (February 18, 2015) – Production has commenced on location in Australia on Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films' epic comedy adventure "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," directed by Espen Sandberg & Joachim Rønning ("Kon-Tiki"), the fifth entry in the blockbuster franchise inspired by the classic Disney Theme Parks attraction, which has reaped $3.7 billion in worldwide box office.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" will film entirely at Village Roadshow Studios and on locations within Queensland, Australia.

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying...

Production has commenced on location in Australia on Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ epic comedy adventure Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, directed by Espen Sandberg & Joachim Rønning (“Kon-Tiki”), the fifth entry in the blockbuster franchise inspired by the classic Disney Theme Parks attraction, which has reaped $3.7 billion in worldwide box office.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will film entirely at Village Roadshow Studios and on locations within Queensland, Australia.

Johnny Depp returns to his iconic, Academy Award-nominated role of Captain Jack Sparrow, one of the most beloved characters in motion picture history, newly joined by Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Skyfall”), rising young stars Kaya Scodelario (“The Maze Runner,” British television’s “Skins”) and Brenton Thwaites (“Maleficent,” “The Giver”) and Golshifteh Farahani (“The Patience Stone,” “Exodus: Gods and Kings”).

Rejoining the action are Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa,...

The Best Visual Effects is often the place where the Academy recognizes what it is frequently accused of avoiding elsewhere: mainstream spectacle. Blockbusters reign in this category, at least at the nomination stage, with fantasy films, franchises and other money-makers always featuring prominently. The branch also has its specific fetishes, at least historically (talking animals immediately jumps to mind), though, in recent years, it has seemingly been all 3D, all the time. There are dozens if not hundreds of individuals who work on a film’s visual effects but the nomination can ultimately be shared by only four of them – usually the special effects supervisor and three visual effects supervisors. While some names are "favorites" of the branch (John Frazier, Joe Letteri), this branch is hardly the most insular and tends to be more concerned about the work on display. We will receive a hint of the way they are...

Oscar 2014 winners and nominees (photo: Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o and Jared Leto chat at the 2014 Oscar ceremony) Best Picture: American Hustle, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon; Captain Phillips, Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca; Dallas Buyers Club, Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter; Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman; Her, Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay; Nebraska, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa; Philomena, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward; 12 Years a Slave, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Anthony Katagas; The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joey McFarland, Emma Tillinger Koskoff. Best Foreign Language Film: The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium; The Great Beauty, Italy; The Hunt, Denmark; The Missing Picture, Cambodia; Omar, Palestine. Best Actress: Amy Adams, American Hustle; Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Sandra Bullock, Gravity; Judi Dench, Philomena; Meryl Streep, August: Osage County. Best Actor: Christian Bale, American Hustle; Bruce Dern, Nebraska; Leonardo DiCaprio,...

The 86th annual Academy Awards were really fun to watch. Ellen Degeneres did a fantastic job hosting, and I enjoyed the show she put on. It was also insanely predictable, at least, for me it was. Overall, I'm happy with all of the films that won. My favorite win of the the night was Spike Jonze taking home the Oscar for Best Original screenplay for Her. That was such an amazing movie, and I really wanted it to win that award, but I wasn't sure it would happen. My favorite speech of the night came from Best Actor winner Matthew McConaughey. I was never really a big fan of his, but over the last couple of years he has sure blown up into an amazing actor who has starred in some really incredible films. Then that speech he gave last night won me over, and now I'm on team McConaughey.

It was another incredible night at the 86th Academy Awards earlier this evening (March 2), as Ellen DeGeneres hosted a wonderful show filled with fabulous moments.

Big wins went to Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o in the Supporting Actors categories, while Cate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey took home the golden statues for their work as Leading Actors.

Meanwhile, the cast and crew of "12 Years a Slave" was recognized with a Best Picture Oscar and Alfonso Cuaron took home the award for Best Director.

Check out the full list of 2014 Academy Award winners below!

Best Picture

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity"

"Her"

"Nebraska"

"Philomena"

Winner "12 Years a Slave"

"The Wolf of Wall Street"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”

Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”

Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave”

Jonah Hill in “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Winner Jared Leto...

After a lengthy awards season that lasted three long months, the race for the Oscars came to a conclusion tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

This year’s 86th Academy Awards saw a split between Best Picture and Director. 12 Years A Slave won three, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o.

Backstage, producer/actor Brad Pitt said, “ I love this movie. I ‑‑ just as a film, as a lover of film, the filmmaking, the ‑‑ this heroic story of a man in this inhumane situation trying to get back to his family. I love this film. I love the filmmaking. It’s counterintuitive to the way we’re making films today. It’s a real achievement by Mr. McQueen here. I love this movie. I think it’s important. I think it’s important because it deals with our history that we haven...

And in the end, it was a predictable Oscar night! The frontrunners were true frontrunners with "12 Years a Slave" taking home the Best Picture trophy while "Gravity" won all technical awards. In the acting categories, Cate Blanchett won Best Actress, Matthew McConaughey was awarded the Best Actor trophy, while Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o received the Supporting Actor and Actress awards, respectively.

I think Ellen did a great job hosting the award, and the best musical performer for me was Pink singing "Over the Rainbow" in tribute to "The Wizard of Oz."

And here are the winners of the granddaddy of the Awards Season -- the 2014 Oscars:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Winner: Matthew McConaughey in .Dallas Buyers Club.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi in...

Another year has gone by with some simply fantastic movies and yes, it’s the night of the Oscars yet again. We’ll be up throughout the night tweeting from @HeyUGuys and we’ll be updating this post as we go throughout the night.

If you miss a winner, fear not as they’ll all be here as we go or if you’re reading this in the UK in the morning, welcome and we’re no doubt asleep!

The Tally:

Gravity: 7 Dallas Buyers Club: 3 12 Years a Slave: 3 The Great Gatsby: 2 Frozen: 2 Blue Jasmine: 1

—————————

Best Picture

“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers “Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers “Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers “Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers “Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa,...

The 86th Annual Academy Awards have come and gone, and Et has the complete list of winners!

Read on to find out who took home gold. (Winners underlined).

Related Pics: Hit or Miss: The 2014 Oscars!

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress

Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

June Squibb, Nebraska

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Best Animated Feature

Frozen

The Croods

The Wind Rises

Despicable Me 2

Ernest & Celestine

Best Picture

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Lead Actor

Christian Bale, American Hustle

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Lead Actress

Amy Adams, American Hustle

[link...

Screen is updating the Oscar winners live here…winners so far include Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Frozen, The Great Beauty, 12 Years A Slave and more.

The winners are being announced at the 86th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

The winners are listed below, followed by the nominees.

Best motion picture of the year“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers“Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers“Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers“Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers“Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers“Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers“12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers“The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determinedPerformance by an actor in a leading roleChristian Bale in “American Hustle”Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”[link...

Waking up bright and early, Chris Hemsworth headed over to the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, CA to announce the 2014 Academy Award nominations on January 16.

In addition, the President of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, took to the stage to kick off the day in honor the "heroes" in the film industry and read off the list with the "Thor" hunk.

Starting off the nominees list were the talented men in the Supporting Actor category including Barkad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Jonah Hill and Jared Leto.

As for the ladies in the Supporting Actress category, Sally Hawkins, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong'o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb each earned recognition.

When it came to the Best Picture nominees, nine films including "American Hustle," "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Gravity," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "12 Years a Slave" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" gained a nod.

Check out the full list of 2014 Oscar nominees below!

12 Years a Slave won the big prize of the night, but Gravity took home the most awards overall with seven.

Slave, the historical drama based on the true story of Solomon Northup, took home Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (for Lupita Nyong’o), and Best Adapted Screenplay (for John Ridley).

Meanwhile, Gravity earned honors for Alfonso Cuaron (Best Director), Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

Including Nyong’o, the acting awards went as predicted, with Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), and Jared Leo (Dallas Buyers Club...

The Oscar nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced but who will win and who should win? In a banner year for great movies, 2013 gave us thought-provoking and entertaining experience at the cinema. On Oscar night, Steve McQueen.s .12 Years a Slave. will take home the top prize but Alfonso Cuaron.s .Gravity. will win all the technical awards including Best Director. Quite fitting since one provoked (.12 Years.) and the other entertained (.Gravity.).

And for those who know me, the Academy Awards is my Super Bowl! I.m a nerd when it comes to the Oscars! So I tried to predict the winners to help you with your Oscar pool.

And here's my complete and utterly fearless 2014 Oscar predictions:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Matthew McConaughey...

Contributed by Michelle McCue, Melissa Thompson and Gary Salem

Funny how fast an Oscar season goes by… only last year Argo was being given the Academy Award for Best Picture. The big night is almost here and nothing about this year’s Academy Awards is a sure bet. With so much time between the nominations in January, the various guild awards and the Olympics thrown in, the 6,028 AMPAS voters have had a long time to mull things, and their votes, over.

The winner’s acceptance speeches at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actor Guild Awards (SAG) and the British Academy Awards (BAFTA) have never been more important as they have during this past month and a half. Voting for the Oscars closed on Tuesday, February 25, at 5 p.m.

Even the avid pundits are in a muddle and would give their eye teeth to see the final tallies. Will hopefuls Leto,...

All 29 Oscar Experts are predicting that "Gravity" will win Best Visual Effects at the Oscars on Sunday. It ranks as the closest thing to a lock with leading odds of 1/10 for nominees Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, and Neil Corbould to win Academy Awards.  In second place is "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" with 33/1 odds. Nominees are Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, and Eric Reynolds. The third position is a tie between by "Iron Man 3" (nominees Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash, and Dan Sudick).and "Star Trek: Into Darkness" (nominees Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossman, and Burt Dalton) with 50/1 odds. In the last spot is "The Lone Ranger" with 100/1 odds. Nominees are Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams, and John Frazier. Review the individual predictions of our Experts here. And be sure to check out the Experts' collecti...

In the lead-up to the 86th annual Academy Awards on March 2, HitFix will be bringing you the lowdown on all 24 Oscar categories with multiple entries each day. Take a few notes and bone up on the competition as we give you the edge in your office Oscar pool! The season of Oscars Lowdown (née Oscar Guide) might as well begin with the biggest no-brainer category of the bunch, just to go ahead and get it out of the way. But it's worth pointing out that it's always unfortunate when there's an obvious winner in any category, particularly Best Visual Effects as it seems a number of times over the last few years — "Avatar," "Life of Pi," etc. — there has been a clear dominant player and all other nominees are just along for the ride. Still, this year's likely victor is a landmark every bit deserving of the trophy coming its way.

The Oscar nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced but who will win and who should win? In a banner year for great movies, 2013 gave us thought-provoking and entertaining experience at the cinema. On Oscar night, Steve McQueen.s .12 Years a Slave. will take home the top prize but Alfonso Cuaron.s .Gravity. will win all the technical awards including Best Director. Quite fitting since one provoked (.12 Years.) and the other entertained (.Gravity.).

And for those who know me, the Academy Awards is my Super Bowl! I.m a nerd when it comes to the Oscars! So I tried to predict the winners to help you in your Oscar pool.

And here's my complete and utterly fearless 2014 Oscar predictions:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Matthew McConaughey...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced nominations for the 86th Academy awards on Thursday.

The award ceremony will be held on March 2 in Hollywood.

Complete list of nominations:

Best Picture

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Director

David O. Russell, “American Hustle”

Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”

Alexander Payne, “Nebraska”

Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”

Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Best Actor

Christian Bale, “American Hustle”

Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”

Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”

Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Actress

Amy Adams, “American Hustle”

Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”

Judi Dench, “Philomena”

Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”

Best Original Screenplay

“American Hustle” – Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell

“Blue Jasmine” – Written by Woody Allen

“Her” – Written by Spike Jonze

“Nebraska...

Sneak Peek this year's official "Oscars" nominations for the 86th annual Academy Awards broadcast, airing March 2, 2014, live on ABC.

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews

“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty

“The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“The Book Thief” John Williams

“Gravity” Steven Price

“Her” William Butler and Owen Pallett

“Philomena” Alexandre Desplat

“Saving Mr. Banks” Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone”

Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel

“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”

Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams

“Let It Go” from “Frozen”

Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“The Moon Song” from “Her”

Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze

“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom...

Oscar has smiled upon Australia this morning, with Academy Awards nominations for Cate Blanchett, Catherine Martin, Beverly Dunn, Michael Wilkinson and Dave Clayton.

If Blanchett wins best actress for Blue Jasmine, she will become the first Australian actor in history with two gold statues. She was named best supporting actress for The Aviator in 2005.

Martin (production design, costume design) and Dunn (costume design) are nominated for their work in The Great Gatsby. .Cm. won twice before, for art direction and costume design for Moulin Rouge! This is Dunn.s first Oscar nod; she won an AFI award for Australia, shared with Martin, Ian Gracie and Karen Murphy.

La-based costume designer Wilkinson scored his first nomination for American Hustle.

Visual effects wizard Dave Clayton was recognised for his work on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, shared with Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Eric Reynolds. Clayton, Letteri and Saindon were nominated...

Oscar nominations 2014: Quite a few surprises (photo: Best Actress Oscar nominee Amy Adams in ‘American Hustle’) The Oscar 2014 nominations were announced early on Thursday morning, January 16, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Was Amy Adams shortlisted for American Hustle? Did Meryl Streep break another Oscar record? Did Robert Redford nearly break the record for longest gap between nominations in the acting categories? Was Jennifer Lawrence snubbed? Did Scarlett Johansson make Oscar history for her voice performance as Joaquin Phoenix’s love interest in Her? Was Peter Jackson-Ian McKellen’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug shortlisted in the technical categories? Well, below you’ll find the answers to all these questions. Be prepared: as usual, there were quite a few surprises. (You can compare the Academy’s choices to our Oscar 2014 predictions.) Full list of Oscar 2014 nominations Best Picture: American Hustle,...

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

For many, Christmas morning came today in the form of the annual Oscar nominations announcement.

Actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations for the 86th Academy Awards today (January 16) at a 5:38 a.m. Pt live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. Wamg was once again invited to the big event.

American Hustle and Gravity were the films of the day with 10 nominations, followed by a great showing for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave with 9 nods.

Captain Phillips, Nebraska and Dallas Buyers Club saw 6 each, while Spike Jonze’s Her and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street garnered 5 a piece.

Of note, all the 9 Best Picture nominees were released in the last part of the 2013.

Gravity – October 3, 2013

Captain Phillips – October 10, 2013

12 Years a Slave – October 17, 2013

Dallas Buyers Club – November 1, 2013

Nebraska – November 15, 2013

Philomena – November...

Waking up bright and early, Chris Hemsworth headed over to the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, CA to announce the 2014 Academy Award nominations this morning (January 16).

In addition, the President of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, took to the stage to kick off the day in honor the "heroes" in the film industry and read off the list with the "Thor" hunk.

Starting off the nominees list were the talented men in the Supporting Actor category including Barkad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Jonah Hill and Jared Leto.

As for the ladies in the Supporting Actress category, Sally Hawkins, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong'o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb each earned recognition.

When it came to the Best Picture nominees, nine films including "American Hustle," "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Gravity," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "12 Years a Slave" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" gained a nod.

Check out the full list of 2014 Oscar nominees below!

Best Picture: “American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers “Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers “Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers “Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers “Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers “Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers “12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers “The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determined Director: “American Hustle” David O. Russell “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón “Nebraska” Alexander Payne “12 Years a Slave” Steve McQueen “The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese Leading Actor: Christian Bale in “American Hustle” Bruce Dern in “Nebraska” Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street” Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave” Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club” Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi in...

American Hustle and Gravity are the two most nominated films for this year's Academy Awards, each film receiving 10 nominations, while 12 Years a Slave received nine; all three films are up for Best Picture. Actor Chris Hemsworth and the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced 86th Oscar nominations today in Los Angeles. Other heavily nominated films include Dallas Buyers Club, Captain Phillips and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Peter Travers breaks down this year's most offensive snubs

The Best Song category features some unique musicians. In December,...

With the Golden Globes this past weekend the awards season is definitely in full swing, and the biggest one of them all (the Academy Awards) announced their nominations early this morning. As always there are surprises and snubs, but American Hustle and Gravity are the clear frontrunners with both nabbing a nice 10 nominations a piece. Come inside to check out the full list of this year's Oscar noms!

Below you'll find the full list of nominees that were announced this morning by Chris Hemsworth and AMPAS president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. You can see who will take home the Oscars when Ellen DeGeneres hosts the awards show on March 2nd.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence,...

We woke up early with Hollywood this morning for the nominations for the granddaddy of the awards season -- the Oscars! Mister Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, along with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations, and there were not a whole lot of surprises.

But I'm very happy that the Academy honored "Dallas Buyers Club" with a nod for Best Picture along with Golden Globe winners, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, getting Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations respectively.

David O. Russell's "American Hustle" and Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" dominated the nominations with 10 nods each including Best Picture. The films will compete with "12 Years a Slave," "Captain Phillips," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "Dallas Buyers Club," and "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Emma Thompson, two-time Oscar winner, was ignored for her fantastic work in "Saving Mr. Banks," and the movie failed to...

Now that we are knee-deep in awards season it is time to avoid to political back-slapping and enjoy the film year in retrospect. There’s little chance that the 86th Academy Awards nominations will throw up any grand surprises however the debate it will stir will all point to a positive outcome: that people who love film will champion them and argue about their inclusion (or not).

With the 2014 BAFTA nominations recently announced it’ll be interesting to see how far apart the two Academies are this year, but there are sure to be favourites in common. Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is certain to gather up nominations, likewise Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity will grab onto directing and technical awards for sure, American Hustle is certain to have a nomination of two as well. What we’re looking forward to are the smaller films, unable to throw stocked coffers at For Your Consideration campaigns,...

The 86th Annual Academy Award nominations were revealed this morning, Jan. 16, and though many of the names and films called out were expected (American Hustle, Her, 12 Years a Slave), there were a few surprises (Nebraska) and snubs (The Butler, Inside Llewyn Davis).

American Hustle and Gravity dominated with 10 Oscar noms each, while 12 Years a Slave wasn't too far behind with nine nominations. Meanwhile, Nebraska nabbed six Oscar nods, as well as Dallas Buyers Club and Captain Phillips.

Related Pics: 15 Best Oscar Dresses Of All Time

And the nominees are:

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress

Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

June Squibb, Nebraska

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Best Animated Feature

Frozen

The Croods

The Wind Rises

Despicable Me 2

Ernest & Celestine

Best Picture...

Nominations for the 86th annual Academy Awards will be announced today by actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

You can now watch the nominations Live by using the video below and later on we will post all the nominations.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will also be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Below is the full list of nominations and see who will take home the Oscar on Sunday, March 2, 2014.

Are there any nods that surprised you?

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale, American Hustle

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey,...

Want to know who will be competing for little gold men at the 86th annual Academy Awards? You’re in the right place! We’ll be posting all the nominees here; keep refreshing to see a full list. Update: Find a complete list of nominees below. American Hustle and Gravity are tied for the most nods with 10 apiece; 12 Years a Slave is close behind with nine nominations total.

Best Picture

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Director

David O. Russell, American Hustle

Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

Alexander Payne,...