Tag Archives: Oscar

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards’ Weirdest Moment

If you watched the 82nd Annual Academy Awards last night, you saw there weren’t many surprises. Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were charming and humorous, but there were no really scandalous or risky jokes. Jeff Bridges locked up Best Actor and Sandra Bullock pulled off her expected Best Actress win. But, there was one surreal moment. It was in the middle of the ceremony when Best Documentary Short was announced. I know what you are thinking “Best Documentary Short?” It is usually during times like this when people go to the kitchen to get a snack. Last night, Music … Continue reading →

Focus on the Oscars: About the Academy Awards

The Academy Awards was first held on May 16, 1929 at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. The ceremony, which was hosted by Douglas Fairbanks and William C. DeMille (older brother of Cecil), honored films from 1927 and 1928. Rather than being a big, glitzy production, the first Academy Awards was a private dinner held for less than 250 people. This year will be the 81st Academy Awards ceremony and will be held across the street from the Hotel Roosevelt in the Kodak Theatre. Every year, the awards have been broadcast, first on the radio, then on television (after it became … Continue reading →

2008 Oscar Fashion

Did you honestly think I would overlook this year’s fashion at the Academy Awards? I definitely had some opinions about the outfits, although I must say the guys for the most part were well dressed but dull. Even Johnny Depp looked normal! For the women, I must say that I didn’t really like Marion Cotillard’s dress. Yes, it was kind of pretty, but didn’t you think it made her look a bit like a mermaid with all the scales? Okay, okay, I know, she is French; she innately knows more about fashion than I do. Moving on, I thought Jennifer … Continue reading →

Is Oscar Unfair to Foreign Filmmakers?

Believe it or not, it’s that time of the year again – Oscar buzz has already started. But some filmmakers are hissing rather than buzzing about the Academy’s rules for foreign films. The Academy has a set of official rules that a film must adhere to in order to be eligible for Oscar consideration in the foreign language film category. One film of this year that has been getting buzz will not be getting consideration. Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution” has been disqualified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences despite the fact that Taiwan listed it as its … Continue reading →

Stewart And Oscar—Will The Second Time Be The Charm?

Jon Stewart sealed the deal. America’s favorite faux newscaster is going to give hosting the Academy Awards another try. His first stab at the prestigious gig came in 2006 when he got mixed reviews for his performance. In 2007 the show was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and drew 40.1 million viewers—-about 2 million more than when Stewart hosted. But, producers insist that the show’s lackluster ratings in 2006 weren’t due to Stewart’s performance. “He did a great job two years ago,” Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates told reporters. “You need a host who is not afraid of the unexpected, who … Continue reading →

Oscar Trivia

Okay, hopefully I have not overloaded you with Oscar blogs yet because here is another. Here are a few Oscar trivia questions. Some are pretty easy and some are not. The answers will be posted at the end of the blog. 1. There have only been three films to sweep the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Can you name any of them? 2. What actress has receive the most Academy nominations and how many has she received? 3. Who were the oldest male and female nominees in the Best Actor and Actress … Continue reading →

Martin Scorsese—Could This Be It?

He’s been nominated five times previously for best director, but has gone home a loser each time. Could this finally be the year Martin Scorsese goes home with an Oscar? This year marks Scorsese’s sixth nomination for directing, this time it’s for his violence-laden flick “The Departed.” His first nomination came in 1980 for what critics called a movie masterpiece, “Raging Bull.” Other directing nominations followed for his work on “The Last Temptation of Christ,””Goodfellas,””Gangs of New York” and “The Aviator.” (He also had two screenplay nominations for co-writing “Goodfellas” and “The Age of Innocence,” but lost both times.) Scorsese … Continue reading →

This Year’s Academy Awards

This Sunday is the 79th Annual Academy Awards. This year’s host will be Ellen Degeneres. I like Ellen – I think she is funny. I never cared to watch her talk show because I like her more as a stand up comedian, but I think she should fit in well as host. This is her first appearance as an Oscar host. As I started searching Families.com, I realized we had tons of blogs on Oscar’s previous hosts, previous winners, and this year’s nominees. Check some of these out: Blogs about former Oscar hosts: Chris Rock Chris Rock: Brooklyn’s Own Stand-Up … Continue reading →

Fake Oscar Removed from the Auction Block

It is considered by most to be the most coveted award an entertainer can receive. Because of that, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asks its winners to sign a contract stating the award will remain in their possession. If an entertainer dies and his or her heirs wish to sell the Oscar, they must first offer it to the Academy for $1.00. The Academy always buys the statue and locks it away in a vault. However, the Academy did not instigate this contract until 1951, making all Oscars received before 1951 eligible for sale. When these Oscars … Continue reading →

Sharon Stone: American Beauty Rose

Sharon Vonne Stone was born on March 10, 1958, to Irish-American parents in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Her strict father was a factory worker and her mother a homemaker. She was the second of four children (she has two brothers and one sister), and extremely bright, entering the State University of Pennsylvania at the age of 15. Her IQ is 154, and she was told at an early age that she would fare very well as an attorney. Her first love, however, was the black and white cinema of bygone eras. She loved Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and was mesmerized by … Continue reading →