Fearing a remake of The Artist and wondering whether Meryl Streep could take Robert Downey Jr in a fight.

I’m brainstorming crazy stuff that Tom Cruise might jump off. For a movie. Obviously. Why? Well, you can bet somebody, somewhere, with a lot more power and influence than me is doing just that. Maybe I can think of something truly awesome and sell it to them. After all, Cruise is pretty dedicated to Doing All His Own Stunts No Matter How Crazy They Seem. Maybe I can shoehorn bungee ropes and the Russian Mafia into the equation – everyone needs a villain.

I’m actually trying to distract myself from another depressing possibility – the seemingly inevitable remake of The Artist. That’s crazy? Oh is it? Really? I fear there’s a rumour drifting through the shadowy corridors of some of the major studios’ development departments that a remake of The Artist is, in fact, A Good Idea, and that scares me. There’s bound to be someone who reckons the French shot a movie that everyone loves but nobody noticed they forgot to film in colour and switch on their microphone.

I can see it now. The frenzied late-night phone call to the jobbing screenwriter who just wants to catch a break as he types into the night on his precious Mac Book Air, brushing mice from his writing desk with a moth-eaten slipper. Yeah, it’s a great idea, the studio executives will purr down the phone, their soothing voices promising the screenwriter his Big Break. We’ll remake The Artist in colour, film it in English and spend a bit of dough on a period setting. Get Clint Eastwood to direct. He loves that kind of thing. Oscar Gold… Trying to point out, well, the point of The Artist, the screenwriter becomes the lone voice in a room full of single-minded development executives.

At which point the nightmare grows worse. It’s the perfect time to suggest to the jobbing screenwriter that Marvel fans don’t like The Iron Lady. Well, that’s not entirely unexpected, you might think. There’s a distinct lack of spandex and super-heroism going on there, and rather a lot of showy Oscar-worthiness and Meryl Streep with big hair.

Suddenly I have a powerful image in my head of Robert Downey Jr looming over Meryl ‘Iron Lady’ Streep in his sculpted metal suit, smirking as she cowers behind her Maggie Thatcher handbag and bouffant hairdo.

But some of the less clued-in studio executives start whispering of a crossover feature – The Iron Lady versus Iron Man. The industry buzz will be that apparently Marvel has botched its Iron Lady origin story and made it light on the kind of action needed to pull in the kids. They’ve set it in her apartment? Where she sees ghosts? And she runs the Government in 1980s Britain? Well, maybe we can do something with the ghost thing…

“…Maggie Thatcher! The fearless leader with a mechanised war machine that defended the Fork Lands from the tyranny of the Argents, a primitive, cave-dwelling race that worships false idols made of silver. And there are ghosts, maybe. Watch Iron Man stomp in stage left and bring on the smack down…!”

It’ll be a plotline hastily recited to an impatient studio boss by an over-imaginative and under-experienced intern fearing for her job and feeling vulnerable after her most recent break-up. Have a go at that script and you’ve got an arrogant, if disarmingly charming billionaire in a metal suit laying the smack down on a frail and confused octogenarian who sees ghosts in her flat.

Suddenly I have a powerful image in my head of Robert Downey Jr looming over Meryl ‘Iron Lady’ Streep in his sculpted metal suit, smirking as she cowers behind her Maggie Thatcher handbag and bouffant hairdo. He glances at Pepper Potts, incredulous: “The miners want me to do what to her??”

But that’ll never happen. I’m being a hopeless pessimist. Right? It’s no good – I need my distraction. Should Tom Cruise jump off Seattle’s Space Needle while being shot at by a goon in a micro-light with a mini-gun? Are they looking for a spec script for Mission: Impossible – Retirement Doctrine? I have a long night ahead…

Stars, style and glamour – the Oscars has it all! We now know who’s been nominated in each category and in a couple of weeks, we’ll be finding out who’ll win the lucrative awards at the 2012 Academy Awards.

What’s more, we’ll be keen to see who’s on the guest list for the most prestigious party in town, Night of 100 stars party! Previous years have seen high profile stars and celebs such as Jamie Foxx, Patrick Stewart, David Hasslehoff and Jeff Goldblum sipping champagne cocktails as they party into the night.

This year HeyUGuys has teamed up with Capital FM and Netflix who are offering you and a friend the chance to attend this legendary bash in L.A! You’ll stay in in the 5 Star Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills for five days and be taken for a shopping trip on Rodeo Drive with a celebrity stylist. The lucky pair will be presented with $2,000 to spend on a fabulous new outfit for the star-studded event. All you need to do to enter is visit http://bit.ly/capitalredcarpet and answer a question to sign up to be in with a chance of winning.

Plus the fun doesn’t end there, as Capital FM and Netflix will also be offering you more chances to win daily prizes. Each daily code will light up a Hollywood star and grant you access into the prize draw for that day. You won’t want to miss out as they’ll be iPads, Xbox 360 Kinect’s and for film lovers Netflix subscriptions!

Click next to be taken to your HeyUGuys superstar code…..

This morning (LA time) Jennifer Lawrence, star of upcoming movie The Hunger Games will be revealing the nominations live from LA for the 84th Academy Awards aka The Oscars. We’ll update the list below as as we can so keep refreshing (press F5 on your keyboard) the post to see the nominations as they arrive. The nominations begin 13.30 GMT, 08:30 EST and 05:30 PST. You can watch it here live.

It’s pretty much certain that The Artist and The Descendants will do very well and we’re hoping for a good show from British productions including My Week with Marilyn, Shame and The Iron Lady.

The Oscars ceremony themselves take place Sunday, February 26 at the Kodak Theatre with Billy Crystal presenting. We’ll be up all night to bring you the winners as they’re announced

Best Picture

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• War Horse
• Moneyball
• The Tree Of Life
• The Help
• Midnight In Paris
• Hugo
• Extremely Close And Incredibly Close

Best Actor

• Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
• George Clooney (The Descendants)
• Demian Bachir (A Better Life)
• Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
• Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

Best Actress

• Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
• Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
• Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)
• Viola Davis (The Help)
• Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)

Best Supporting Actor

• Kenneth Branagh (My Week With Marilyn)
• Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
• Nick Nolte (Warrior)
• Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
• Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)

Best Supporting Actress

• Berenice Bijou (The Artist)
• Jessica Chastain (The Help)
• Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
• Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
• Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Best Director

• Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
• Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
• Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
• Woody Allen (Midnight In Paris)
• Terrence Malick (The Tree Of Life)

Animated Feature

• A Cat In Paris
• Chico & Rita
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Puss In Boots
• Rango

Art Direction

• The Artist
• Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Hugo
• Midnight In Paris
• War Horse

Cinematography

• The Artist
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• The Tree Of Life
• War Horse

Costume Design

• Anonymous
• The Artist
• Hugo
• Jane Eyre
• W.E.

Documentary Feature

• Hell And Back Again
• If A Tree Falls Short: A Story Of The Earth Liberation Front
• Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
• Pina
• Undefeated

Documentary Short

• The Barber Of Birmingham: Foot Soldier Of The Civil Rights Movement
• God Is The Bigger Elvis
• Incident In New Baghdad
• Saving Face
• The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom

Editing

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Moneyball

Foreign Language Film

• Bullhead
• Footnote
• In Darkness
• Monsieur Lazhar
• A Separation

Music (Score)

• The Adventures Of Tintin
• The Artist
• Hugo
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• War Horse

Music (Song)

• The Muppets
• Rio

Short Film (animated)

• Dimanche/Sunday
• The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr Morris Lessmore
• La Luna
• A Morning Stroll
• Wild Life

Short Film (live action)

• Pentecost
• Raju
• The Shore
• Time Freak
• Tuba Atlantic

Today at 13.30 GMT, Jennifer Lawrence, star of the new movie, The Hunger Games will be announcing the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards live from LA. We’ll also be updating the list of nominations as they happen here.

You can watch the nominations as they happen live below:

We’re expecting big things from The Artist and The Descendents but stay tuned to find out who will be in with a chance of winning the most coveted statue in the movie industry.

Never did I think I’d see the day when Robin Williams, Megan Fox, William Fichtner, Josh Duhamel, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and British ex-footballer come movie star Vinnie Jones, all appear in the same movie together…. Well, I guess they still haven’t really but they do all appear in this new trailer for The 84th Academy Awards or the Oscars as they are more commonly known.

We’ll be staying up all night as we usually do to blog the event as it happens and we’d love you to join us. It’s set to take place on Sunday February 26th at 7pm EST 4PM PST and that I think means coverage will being from midnight GMT but that will probably be red carpet arrivals and all the build up with the actual ceremony starting after that.

Anyway, here’s the trailer named ‘Off the grid’ that will blow your mind as much as it did mine!

With the list of the eighteen candidates in the Best Animated Feature category surfacing two weeks ago, the race (pun unintended) is on, and Pixar are the first out the gate with their campaign for Cars 2.

UpcomingPixar have got the first two posters for the film’s Oscar campaign, with Pixar setting their sights on the Best Animated Feature category for the John Lasseter-directed film, as well as Best Original Song and Best Original Score, for Michael Giacchino’s work scoring the film.

The summer film did expectedly well at the box office, taking just over $550m. at the box office from its $200m. budget, which is impressive work. The response from the critics was more mixed, so which side of the line the Academy will fall is anyone’s guess.

I think given some of the other candidates from this year – including Rango, The Adventures of Tintin, and Winnie the Pooh – Pixar might be about to break their four-year winning streak. But of course, only time will tell. The nominations will be announced on 24th January next year, followed by the awards ceremony on 26th February. So expect more For Your Consideration ad campaigns in the coming months, in the Best Animated Feature category as well as all the others. Without further ado, here are the new posters Pixar would like to present for your consideration. As usual with the second poster, click to enlarge.

It’s been a hectic few days for the for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the 84th Academy Awards lost producer Brett Ratner and host Eddie Murphy all within 24 hours.

Confirmation of Ratner’s replacement is here, however, and amid conversations of who should stand in as host is all over the internet, with The Muppets taking lead as front-runners for the spot.

Alas it was not to be as Billy Crystal has just been confirmed as the host of the 84th Academy Awards.

Filmmaker Ratner announced his resignation as Oscar producer on Tuesday after recent controversies involving racy comments and the use of an anti-gay slur. Murphy then followed with an announcement of his withdrawal the next day.

Fortunately it wasn’t long until Academy President Tom Sherak announced that Brian Grazer has been secured as Ratner’s replacement and in the half an hour Crystal tweeted the following,

Crystal returns to the stage for the ninth time and, while it’s not The Muppets, it provides some stability for the ceremony.

Grazner, whose current projects include the soon-to-be-released J. Edgar and the just released Tower Heist (starring Murphy and directed by Ratner), said that, “It’s very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career.”

Sherak commented that, “Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work,” and continued: “He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars.”

The biggest names to be circulated amongst film fanatics over the last twenty four hours included the return of James Franco and Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, and Hugh Jackman.

But what seemed to be a favourite option was for The Muppets to host the show, and they quickly became the front-runners as the people’s choice overnight.

Their Twitter account @MuppetsOscars pulled over 11,000 follows, though Variety were quick to deny any chance of it, reporting that any hope of The Muppets hosting was slim. Not that their say has stopped the release of The Muppets promotional poster (above).

The Awards show is still expected to air on February 26, 2012.

The race for the 84^th Academy Awards is on in the Animated Feature Film category, with eighteen animated features being submitted for consideration this year, Deadline report. Last year saw the largely expected victory of Toy Story 3, marking the fourth year in a row for a Disney/Pixar film to win the award, which is now going to be in its eleventh year.

The list is headed up by all the expected candidates, with a number of unexpected names making the list as well – though, we can no doubt expect that those unexpected names aren’t going to be appearing on the final nominees list come January next year.

The eighteen films that have been submitted are, in alphabetical order:

• The Adventures of Tintin
• Alois Nebel
• Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
• Arthur Christmas
• Cars 2
• A Cat in Paris
• Chico & Rita
• Gnomeo & Juliet
• Happy Feet Two
• Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Mars Needs Moms
• Puss in Boots
• Rango
• Rio
• The Smurfs
• Winnie the Pooh
• Wrinkles

Though I admit that I’ve not actually seen any of this year’s potential candidates, it’s only through lack of time/availability in my local cinema that I’ve not seen a number of them, with many of them being well received both critically and commercially.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, for example, has been doing well so far, taking more than $55m. in its first few weeks of release in most international markets, with more than a month still to go before its US release on 21^st December, where it will hopefully make up the rest of its $135m. budget – America, of course, being the market where a lot of films make the majority of their box office money.

Kung Fu Panda 2 has also done well this year, earning more than half a billion dollars, with typically well-received reviews as the follow-up to one of my favourite animated films. Cars 2 did well commercially through the summer, also going past the $500m. box office mark, though perhaps was received less favourably critically. The Smurfs was another to reach the half-billion milestone, becoming a success beyond everyone’s expectations – though it, too, didn’t do as well in critics’ eyes as it did at the box office.

Films like Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil, Mars Needs Moms (which notoriously bombed at the box office this year), and the upcoming third film in the series, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked fill out much of the rest of the list, and these will probably be the first to go in most people’s eyes upon seeing the contenders.

Puss in Boots has done well so far at the US box office, taking the #1 spot at its opening last weekend, internationally taking north of $110m. of its $130m. budget just a couple of weeks into its release, which is pretty good work for a spin-off. Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp’s venture into animation this year with Rango also did really well, and was very well critically received, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes it to the final nominees list in two months’ time.

And though I haven’t seen it, I personally quietly hope that Winnie the Pooh will make it to the final list come January and go on to win the Best Animated Film category, simply because how amazing would it be to be able to say that Winnie the Pooh won an Oscar? (Very.)

The final nominations will be announced on 24^th January next year, with the Academy Awards themselves being held the following month on Sunday, 26^th February. Feel free to let us know below which of the eighteen films above would win your vote.

Back in May, we got the terrific first look at Woody Harrelson in his next upcoming film, Rampart, along with the official full synopsis, and right from the get-go it looked and sounded brilliant.

Earlier this month, we then got the first three clips from the film, just after it had its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where it was very much well received.

Now comes the fantastic news that Millennium Entertainment have acquired the US rights to the film for $2m., Deadline report, and they have their eye on taking a shot at the Oscars early next year. They are currently planning on releasing the film in twenty cities across America, and since the Academy’s rules for eligibility state that the film must have at least a week-long run, specifically in Los Angeles County, within the calendar year (Rule 2.2 c., d., and f.), we can be pretty sure that at the very least, LA will be lucky enough to see Rampart before the end of the year.

“The last of the renegade cops, LAPD officer Dave Brown (Harrelson) is caught on tape “doing the people’s dirty work” and finds himself at the center of a vicious scandal. The days of being above the law are over. Now a poster boy for police corruption, Dave learns he’s been targeted by cop killers looking for revenge. Nothing is what it seems as Dave descends into the L.A. underworld and exacts his own brand of justice.”

Millennium are planning on campaigning for Harrelson on the Best Actor front for the Academy Awards, and for writer-director Oren Moverman for both Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Since famed American crime author James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential) co-wrote the script with Moverman, this would be the writer’s first nomination if he and Moverman do get a nod for Best Screenplay.

Neither Harrelson nor Moverman are rookies when it comes to the awards. Both received tremendous praise for their work together on 2009’s The Messenger, which earned Harrelson a Best Supporting Actor nomination and Moverman a Best Screenplay nomination with his co-writer, Allesandro Camon.

Having not yet seen Rampart, I of course can’t say for sure how Oscar-worthy the film is. But everything about it suggests it deserves a shot at the awards. With an Oscar-nominated writer-director with a twice-nominated leading man, and a terrific support cast that includes Ben Foster, Steve Buscemi, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Heche, Brie Larson, Ice Cube, and Robin Wright, there’s really no way that this film won’t be incredible. There’s no word yet on when the release date will be, either here or in the States, but Deadline do note that the majority of the film’s international rights have been sold already, so let’s all keep our fingers tightly crossed that the UK is included, and that Rampart will get a release here before the end of the year too. I cannot wait.

Following the news that 80’s comedy megastar Eddie Murphy will be the host of next year’s Academy Awards (an odd choice indeed, considering his less-than-gracious exit from the 2007 show when he failed to pick up the Best Supporting statuette) Paramount has announced that his long-delayed 2009 feature, A Thousand Words, will be released in March. Coincidence?

The film’s premise actually sounds very intriguing (Murphy playing a guy who learns he only has 1000 words to speak before he dies) but the director is one Brian Robbins, the filmmaker behind recent Murphy “classics” Norbit and Meet Dave (is the actor aware that he doesn’t necessarily have to work with the same director almost three times in a row!) so it safe to say that collective breaths don’t need to be held.

Still, with a starring role in the upcoming action comedy ensemble Tower Heist (in which he’ll appear alongside such talents as Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck and Matthew Broderick) maybe Murphy will be able to put behind the last few years of poor box office and stage another Nutty Professor-esque come-back.

If not, expect to hear Beverly Hills Cop 4 rumours surfacing sometime around the beginning of March.

Via The Playlist.

With the news recently announced that Eddie Murphy will be hosting the Academy Awards next year, it seems only right that our host for the British Academy of Film and Television Awards would be announced too.

And the British Academy has now announced that the beloved Stephen Fry will returning to take the hosting duties next year, on Sunday 12^th February, two weeks prior to the American awards.

Fry is no stranger to the awards ceremony, having had the job six times in the past, between 2001 and 2006:

“I had a marvellous time presenting the Film Awards for the first six years of the century. Hard as it may be for some characteristically sceptical Britons to believe, the BAFTAs have real kudos, reputation and cachet all over the world of film-making and I, old as I am, never cease to be shamelessly glamorised by the sight of so many legendary names who come every year as nominees and presenters.

“The adorable Jonathan Ross has done a magnificent job since I last hung up my bow-tie and boxed my patent leather pumps, and I am honoured and pleased to return to the lectern and host what I am sure will be an evening of squeals, surreally weird acceptance speeches and genuinely exciting surprises and pleasures.”

I don’t think I know anyone who has anything but nice things to say about Fry, and I’m really looking forward to his presence at the awards next year. Amanda Berry, BAFTA’s CEO, had this to say about the announcement:

“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Stephen back to host the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2012. Since he stepped down from hosting in 2006, Stephen has continued to build an enviable broadcast repertoire, making a string of BAFTA-nominated documentaries and entertainment programmes as well as lending his voice to BAFTA-winning video games, and we will be seeing him shortly in upcoming films ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ and ‘The Hobbit’. He has also hosted the Academy’s Britannia Awards in Los Angeles, all the while wholeheartedly embracing the Twitter phenomenon and amassing over 3 million followers.

“Stephen’s love of cinema, his keen sense of fun and his characteristic panache will be a huge draw for the biggest film night of 2012.

“Jonathan’s five-year reign as master of ceremonies coincided with a period of growth for the Film Awards, including a move to the Royal Opera House and increasing international awareness of them. Jonathan’s contribution was an essential part of this, and we sincerely thank him for it.”

Sincerely good news in my books, as I’m sure it is in most people’s books. We can next look forward to seeing Fry in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which is due out just before Christmas this year on 16^th December, and should be utterly fantastic. And then just less than two months later, we’ll have the pleasure of inviting him into homes for the evening to host the BAFTAs.

The rumours started over the weekend that the wildly popular, albeit perhaps slightly in years gone by, Eddie Murphy would be hosting the Oscars next year, taking over from James Franco and Anne Hathaway’s turn back at the end of February this year.

Deadline are now reporting that Murphy has officially agreed to take the hosting duties for the 84^th Academy Awards next year, to be held on Sunday, 26th February, 2012.

I must confess that I am still sadly yet to ever have had the chance to see an Oscar ceremony broadcast to date, lacking the television capabilities beyond terrestrial channels that would allow me access to the awards. But the Oscars are something that are watched by millions the world over, and they are far and away the most prestigious awards granted in the film industry.

Some incredible films are predicted to be going to the Oscars next year, including the likes of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Luc Besson’s The Lady; We Need To Talk About Kevin; and many, many more brilliant films. I personally can’t wait to see how the awards turn out, and having Murphy hosting the ceremony sounds like a pretty solid choice to me.

Though many might think he’s passed his prime, Murphy’s upcoming performance in Brett Ratner’s Tower Heist alongside Ben Stiller and Casey Affleck is said to be ingenious, marking a return to the height of his long and brilliant comedy career. Ratner is one of the producers for next year’s Academy Awards, and it was he that suggested Murphy to the Academy for the role of hosting, having worked with him on Tower Heist, and clearly building a relationship with him, knowing how good a choice he would be.

According to one unnamed insider,

“Nobody knows movies better or is a bigger cinephile than Eddie. Not Brett. Not even Quentin Tarantino. Eddie can quote scenes from every single movie word for word. He can bring all that experience to hosting. Plus he has Saturday Night Live experience before a live crowd. And worldwide the biggest crossover comedians are Will Smith and Eddie Murphy.”

Though the rumours received a slightly mixed response over the weekend, I’m definitely warming to the idea now that it’s been confirmed. I love Murphy in so many different films, and I fully expect him to be a brilliant host for next year’s Awards. I only hope that I’ll finally be able to see it live with everybody else.

Obviously there has been somewhat of a lull since the onslaught of awards ceremonies earlier in the year and the relevant companies have had enough time to sort out press releases for next years awards ceremonies and it seems they have chosen today to share them with us!

We’ve just received information from BAFTA HQ that the 2012 event will take place on Sunday 12th February 2012 with the nominations being revealed Tuesday 17th January.

Just like last year, that puts the BAFTAs two week ahead of the 2012 Academy Awards which Deadline tell us will take place February 26, 2012 with the key dates for the 84th Oscars ceremony below. Question is, what will we see at them? Thoughts below please!

• Thursday, December 1, 2011: Official Screen Credits forms due
• Tuesday, December 27, 2011: Nominations ballots mailed
• Friday, January 13, 2012: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT
• Tuesday, January 24, 2012: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
• Wednesday, February 1, 2012: Final ballots mailed
• Monday, February 6, 2012: Nominees Luncheon
• Saturday, February 11, 2012: Scientific and Technical Awards presentation
• Tuesday, February 21, 2012: Final polls close 5 p.m. PT
• Sunday, February 26, 2012: 84th Academy Awards presentation

Last night, Jon and I stayed up till the wee small hours of Monday morning to bring the 83rd Academy Awards to you live as it happened. You can see the fruits of Jon’s labour right here as he provided a commentary while I was on Twitter conversing with anyone else who happened to be watching the extremely drawn our commercial ridden ABC broadcast!

I thought it might be worth bringing you a summary of who won what which you can see below.

So the main winners were:

• The Kings Speech won four awards including Best Picture
• The Social Network won three
• Inception won four awards which were all technical
• Black Swan only brought home one award for Best Actress (Natalie Portman)
• Toy Story 3 won two awards
• True Grit came away empty handed

Best Picture

• “The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

• Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”

Actress in a Leading Role

• Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”

Best Director

• “The King’s Speech” Tom Hooper

Music (Original Song)

• “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″ Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Film Editing

• “The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Visual Effects

• “Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb

Documentary (Feature)

• “Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

Short Film (Live Action)

• “God of Love” Luke Matheny

Documentary (Short Subject)

• “Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

Costume Design

• “Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood

Makeup

• “The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Sound Editing

• “Inception” Richard King

Sound Mixing

• “Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

Music (Original Score)

• “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Christian Bale in “The Fighter”

Foreign Language Film

• “In a Better World” Denmark

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• “The King’s Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

Best Animated Feature

• Toy Story 3

Short Film (Animated)

• “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”

Art Direction

• “Alice in Wonderland” – Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara

Cinematography

• “Inception” Wally Pfister

The show has now started and we’re going to be up all night watching the 83rd Annual Academy Awards and we’d love for you to join us to. So get a cup of tea, put your feet up and watch the ceremony unfold right here!

Keep up to date with all the winners as they happen right here!

Who do you want to win? Let us know in the comments section below…

With the 2011 Academy Awards mere days away, another season of Hollywood back-slapping is nearing a close. Whilse some would argue that there is all still to play for, it seems fairly safe to suggest that Colin Firth and Natalie Portman can perhaps consider clearing a little space on the mantelpiece.

Though it has happened before, it is quite rare for any truly shocking frontrunners to appear at this late stage. However, it can also be argued that perhaps the films and types of performances to be nominated for this year’s Oscars were obvious months before the season even kicked off. The Academy can certainly not be described as ‘bold’ when it comes to nominating particular roles for Oscars, and it certainly does not take an expert to spot what features attract their attention.

Perhaps winning an Oscar really is much more than the performance. Maybe following some key steps is all that is needed to catch the attention of the Academy.

1. Be overdue

The word ‘overdue’ is now one that gets bandied about annually during the awards season. It seems there is a strong trend to ensure that actors who have slogged away for a number of years and proven their worth must be recognised once it is deemed to be their ‘time’. This was certainly the murmur going round in 2010, with many feeling that 5-times Oscar nominated Jeff Bridges finally deserved to win in recognition of his fine career.

Whilst it is nice to see gifted actors getting the accolades, this trend is one that has begun to blight the awards season, with trophies perhaps going to those who should have had them long ago rather than who delivered the best performance. The use of an Oscar as a consolation for previous outrageous losses is most certainly a frustrating trend. Even Judi Dench herself looked slightly embarrassed when she accepted her Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, perhaps well aware that it was a partial apology for being overlooked for her more worthy role in Mrs. Brown.

This trend could maybe this year prove favourable for Annette Bening, up for her fourth nomination after three previous losses, two of which were memorably won by Hilary Swank. There is a good chance that Bening will once again be overlooked this year, but her overdue factor could result in a surprise loss for favourite Natalie Portman.

2. Be a real person

Over the last decade, 5 Best Actor Oscar wins and 6 Best Actress Oscar wins have been for the portrayal of real people. The number of actors nominated for the portrayal of real people is significantly greater; of the 50 performances nominated in the Best Actor category over the last decade, 19 were for playing real people.

From Edith Piaf to Virginia Woolfe to Idi Amin, securing a role in a biopic is a sure-fire way to attract awards. Perhaps it is the feeling that playing a real person is maybe more challenging, with the actor required to make an effort to copy mannerisms, body movements and accents. There is also the feeling that these roles require more work and dedication, owing to the fact that audience members and critics are able to compare the actor to the real person and judge the performance on the basis of the level of accuracy.

Biopics are currently hugely popular and without doubt are judged by the academy as roles that deserve rewarding. This certainly boosts the chances of hot favourite Colin Firth whose portrayal of King George VI has been winning multiple accolades. With the attention given to biopics, it is not surprising to see so many future productions planned, with films about Freddie Mercury, Liberace and Kurt Cobain all waiting in the wings.

3. Transform your body

The Academy love nothing more than seeing an actor prove their dedication to their craft by transforming their appearance. For the beautiful women of Hollywood, this usually comes in the form of making themselves ugly. Nicole Kidman’s false nose, Charlize Theron’s 30lb’s weight gain and Marion Cotillard’s wrinkled face and shaven hairline all resulted in Oscar wins. The Academy like to credit beautiful women whose career often depends on their looks and reward them for being ‘brave’ enough to ugly up their faces and expand out of their size zero dresses.

Male performers are generally credited more for extreme transformations of their body. Robert De Niro famously trained for his Oscar winning performance in Raging Bull before piling on an astonishing 60lb’s for the final part of the film. Adrien Brody lost 31lb’s for his role in The Pianist, resulting in the film’s final scenes being filmed first over fears for Brody’s health and to allow him to begin regaining weight as quickly as possible. Christian Bale, already famous for his weight loss and gaining roles, looks set to scoop this year’s Best Supporting Actor trophy, catching the eye of the Academy by losing a third of his body weight for The Fighter. Transforming the body symbolises dedication and effort and is most certainly a way to win the hearts of the Academy.

4. Learn a new skill

Natalie Portman’s year long slog to learn the art of ballet dancing looks likely to win her the ultimate accolade, with her being the current favourite for Best Actress. Once again, the quality of an actor’s performance is generally boosted when the Academy sees evidence that they have had to learn a new skill. In recent years, Nicole Kidman, Johnny Depp and Reese Witherspoon amongst others have learned to sing and scored nominations for appearing in musicals. Holly Hunter learned to play the instrument for her lead role in The Piano and Joaquin Phoenix had to play the guitar convincingly for his portrayal of Johnny Cash. Both F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce were required to learn how to conduct an orchestra for their roles in the multi-award winning Amadeus. There is a huge amount of critical acclaim to be gained for actors who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and risk ridicule as they showcase their singing, dancing and instrument playing ability. Taking such a risk is a certainly the way to attract Oscar buzz.

5. Play a character with a mental illness or disability.

The Academy just love characters who are blighted by some form of disability. Schizophrenia, blindness, HIV, deafness, cerebral palsy and autism are just some of the conditions that have attracted Oscar nominations and wins over the years. This once again bodes well for the nominees of 2011, with Colin Firth’s stuttering and Natalie Portman’s mental breakdown further reinforcing their chances.

It is often the preparation that goes into these roles that impresses the critics so much. Dustin Hoffman spent a year working with young autistic men and their families in order to prepare for his role in Rain Man. Method actor extraordinaire Daniel Day-Lewis refused to come out of character when playing the autistic Christy Brown in My Left Foot, remaining in his wheelchair between takes and eventually breaking two ribs after assuming a hunched posture for so long. The extra work and preparation required for a character with a disability is very often on the receiving end of accolades.

6. Be from the UK or US

It’s a sad fact that the Academy is notoriously short-sighted when it comes to recognising films from across the world. The vast majority of actors and films nominated are still those that originate from America and the UK, with European and World cinema very much overlooked. In 2006, Penelope Cruz became the first Spanish actress ever to be nominated in the Best Actress category. Also in 2006, Pan’s Labyrinth won the first ever Oscar for Mexico in any category. To date, only eight films not in the English language have been nominated in the Best Film category. The list of countries which have never received any Oscars is simply enormous. This trend is perhaps exacerbated by the existence of the frustratingly limited Best Foreign Language Film category, designed to acknowledge the entire annual output of world cinema in only five nominations. As unfair as it seems, a film or performance not in English has a drastically reduced chance of recognition.

7. Do a drama

The Academy like to reward dramas and the number of films from other genres that get rewarded are shockingly low. Whilst this trend is occasionally broken in the case of Lord of The Rings or Chicago, it is generally fair to say that comedies, musicals, science fiction, fantasy, animation and horror are rarely the recipient of Oscars. To date, no science fiction or animated film has ever won in the Best Picture category. The only horror film to win Best Picture was Silence of the Lambs in 1991, although the extent to which that is horror as opposed to drama is debatable. Comedic performances that receive Oscar recognition are generally confined to the supporting categories, such as Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda or Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost. It is extremely rare for leading comedy performances to be nominated. This year’s Oscar nominated films include one animation, one western, one sci-fi adventure and seven dramas. Drama is most certainly the route to take in order to win at the Academy Awards.

8. Deal with ‘real’ issues

The Oscars are often used to acknowledge films that deal with real issues that affect the world and people’s lives. The list of Oscar winning performances and films from over the years tackle such issues as racism, homophobia, sexism, political activism, human rights, injustice and bigotry. It is not difficult to see why so many comedies, animations and musicals fail to get recognised as they are not considered as ‘serious’ enough compared to the more issue-based dramas. The most recent Best Picture winner was The Hurt Locker, looking at the lives of a bomb disposal squad in Iraq. Compared to James Cameron’s CGI world of Avatar, or Quentin Tarantino’s fantasy version of Nazi Germany, it is easy to see why a film of this nature is deemed more worthy of serious consideration.

The Oscars are notoriously predictable in terms of the films and actors they choose to recognise. However, this is arguably a shame as a huge number of worthy performances and films do not stand a chance of receiving the top prizes. When pitched against the many overdue actors and those giving politically charged performances, many extremely memorable roles are completely overlooked. Perhaps the most bizarre new trend was in 2010, when some critics argued that Sandra Bullock deserved her Best Actress Oscar on the strength of the amount of money she had taken for the box office over the course of her career. If this is the new direction the Oscars are taking, Robert Pattinson better start practising his speech.

I would want to be nominated for an Oscar just sop that I could go along to this invite only do. All I have to do is create a masterpiece and then maybe I’ll get to get!

Yesterday, 152 of the men and women who have been nominated for an Academy Award at the 2011 ceremony were invited along to a lunch where they could meet and mingle with their counterparts. Get ready for a rather long list but some of those present included:

Jeff Bridges, Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, Michelle Williams, Javier Barden, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Wahlberg, Lee Unkrich, Christopher Nolan, Aaron Sorkin… the list goes on and on!

This photo comes from The Sun but if you want to see a whole hose of others, head over to Getty where you can see preview versions.

Man I wish I was there!

James Franco (127 Hours) is in talks to star in Oz, the Great and Powerful, Disney’s fantastical take on The Wizard of Oz tale.

While Robert Downey Jr (Due Date) and Johnny Depp (Rango) were both attached at various points of development, Franco now appears to be the frontrunner.

Oz, the Great and Powerful is prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, told from the point of view of the Wizard. It tells how the Wizard arrived in Oz and how he became the ruler.

Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) will direct.

Franco can currently be seen in Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, and will co-host the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony alongside Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs) on February 27.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The 83rd Academy Awards will take place on the 27th of February this year and the nominations have just been announced and the debate can begin.

Last year Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker defied all expectations and won Best Picture and Best Director, Jeff Bridges got his Oscar and Christoph Waltz made a lot of friends with a gracious acceptance speech.

Pixar will hope to follow their 2010 Best Animated Oscar win for Up with the runaway success of  Lee Unkrich’s Toy Story 3 sure to end with a little gold man. Inception, Black Swan, David Fincher’s The Social Network and The King’s Speech will be fighting their corners on the night and we’re hoping Colin Firth gets the nod when the 2011 Oscar for Best Actor is announced.

Whatever you think of the Oscars it’s a good time to reflect on the state of mainstream cinema and we’ll be watching on the night – join us why don’t you?

Here is the full list :

Actor in a Leading Role

• Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
• Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
• Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
• Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
• James Franco in “127 Hours”

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
• John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”
• Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
• Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Actress in a Leading Role

• Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”
• Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
• Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
• Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
• Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
• Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
• Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Animated Feature Film

• “How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
• “The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
• “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Art Direction

• “Alice in Wonderland” – Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara
• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” – Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
• “Inception” = Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
• “The King’s Speech” – Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
• “True Grit” – Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Cinematography

• “Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
• “Inception” Wally Pfister
• “The King’s Speech” Danny Cohen
• “The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
• “True Grit” Roger Deakins

Costume Design

• “Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
• “I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi
• “The King’s Speech” Jenny Beavan
• “The Tempest” Sandy Powell
• “True Grit” Mary Zophres

Directing

• “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
• “The Fighter” David O. Russell
• “The King’s Speech” Tom Hooper
• “The Social Network” David Fincher
• “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Documentary (Feature)

• “Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
• “Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
• “Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• “Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
• “Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

• “Killing in the Name” Nominees to be determined
• “Poster Girl” Nominees to be determined
• “Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
• “Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
• “The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Film Editing

• “Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
• “The Fighter” Pamela Martin
• “The King’s Speech” Tariq Anwar
• “127 Hours” Jon Harris
• “The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Foreign Language Film

• “Biutiful” Mexico
• “Dogtooth” Greece
• “In a Better World” Denmark
• “Incendies” Canada
• “Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

Makeup

• “Barney’s Version” Adrien Morot
• “The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
• “The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)

• “How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
• “Inception” Hans Zimmer
• “The King’s Speech” Alexandre Desplat
• “127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
• “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)

• “Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
• “I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
• “If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
• “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″ Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Picture

• “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
• “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
• “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
• “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
• “The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
• “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
• “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
• “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
• “Winter’s Bone” Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

• “Day & Night” Teddy Newton
• “The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
• “Let’s Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe
• “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
• “Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)

• “The Confession” Tanel Toom
• “The Crush” Michael Creagh
• “God of Love” Luke Matheny
• “Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt
• “Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing

• “Inception” Richard King
• “Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
• “Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
• “True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
• “Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing

• “Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
• “The King’s Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
• “Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
• “The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
• “True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects

• “Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
• “Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
• “Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
• “Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
• “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
• “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
• “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• “Winter’s Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
• “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
• Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
• “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
• “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
• “The King’s Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

Today sees the nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards (The Oscars) and I’ve embedded the player below so that you can watch them as they happen. The nominations announcement takes place at 13.30 GMT / 8:30 a.m and EST/5:30 a.m. PST.

The webcast will begin with host of ABC’s The Bachelor, Chris Harrison and Entertainment Weekly writer, Dave Karger talking about the movies thaty we’ve seen over the past year. Then Academy President Tom Sherak will be joined by the winner of the 2010 Supporting Actress Award, Mo’Nique who will reveals the nominations for the 2011 Awards.

The Awards themselves take place on the 27th February and we’ll be pulling another all-nighter to bring you the awards as they happen. In the meantime, check out the nominations as they happen below.