Films up for Best Animated Film in Oscar 2010

This year it going to be tough for the Best Animated Film category in Oscar. The Academy Award organizers announced on Wednesday that record 20 animated films have been submitted for Oscar 2010. The list of films include studio hits like “Up” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” as well as independent ventures “Mary and Max”.

The Oscar awards in the Best animated film category was began by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2002. In the age of computer animation the number of award-hopeful cartoon flicks has only steadily risen every year since then.

The Disney/Pixar smash hit “Up” is up for the 2010 best animated feature film. The film is about a boy and an old man who float off to South America in a house tied with helium balloons. “Up” earned $507 million at global box offices and is also famed to be the best reviewed animated film of the year.

We vote for “Up” as one of the toughest contenders of the best animated feature film of the forthcoming Oscars. But surely the film will face strong competition from the widely-liked “Coraline”, which earned a sum of $121 million in worldwide ticket sales. Among the other big contenders for this category there are hits like “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. George Clooney movie, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, comedy “Planet 51″ and Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” are also in the list of 20 films vying for the Oscar, but have not been able to pull broad audience.

Following are the list of a complete list of the 20 films, out of which only 5 films will receive nomination:
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”
“Astro Boy”
“Battle for Terra”
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
“Coraline”
“Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
“The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”
“Mary and Max”
“The Missing Lynx”
“Monsters vs. Aliens”
“9″
“Planet 51″
“Ponyo”
“The Princess and the Frog”
“The Secret of Kells”
“Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure”
“A Town Called Panic”
“Up”

Oscar

New rules have been declared, which will decide the winner in the best picture category at this year’s Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have declared that discriminatory voting will now be used to add up the final vote for the award in the best picture category.

Instead of casting their vote only on their favorite movie, the voters will now have rate films to rank nominees for the best picture category in order of preference from 1 to 10. In the rest of the categories, the performer who earns a maximum number of votes will be given the Oscar Award.

The new system that will be implemented from this year for tallying vote for best picture is the similar to that of preferential voting system, which the Academy follows in its nominating process. Since 1945, this is the first time when Academy has used such a voting system for the Best Picture category.

Instead of nominating 5 films in the Best Picture category, the new voting system will now allow 10 films to bag nomination in Oscar.

Tom Sherak, the president of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have said, “Instead of just marking an X to indicate which one picture they believe to be the best, members will indicate their second, third and further preferences as well”.

In support to his statement he also explained that this new voting system will “establish the best picture recipient with the strongest support of a majority of our electorate”.

The nomination for the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced on 2nd February at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Dev Patel and Freida Pinto

Whats next for Dev Patel and Freida Pinto? Rising to worldwide fame with the rags to riches story of a Mumbai slum dweller, the biggest question now lies is what are the two young stars now going to do.  Dev Patel and Freida Pinto already have curved high demands with their talent, and now, after Slumdog Millionaire has swept 8 Academy Awards, they are on the spotlight.  Slumdog, besides winning 8 Oscars in the 81st Academy Awards, have also earned nearly $100 million and still counting at the box office.

Dev has signed the The Last Airbender, a film by M. Night Shyamalan’s for Jesse McCartney’s role and Freida is up to be starred with Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins in Woody Allen’s next film. Freida is very excited about her role and is looking forward to work with Allen. Considering Allen has directed many actors to the Oscar glory (Vicky Cristina Barcelona’s Penelope Cruz is the latest example), this could just be a major coup for the actress.

For both Dev and Freida Slumdog had been their film debut. After a massive success of their first film they are looking forward to follow-up high-profile projects. Freida definitely seems to be in better hands than Dev.

Freida Pinto Dev Patel

Freida Pinto who is presently seeing Dev Patel, her co-star in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, has been blamed by her ex lover for dumping him, the sole reason being her success in the film.  Freida’s Ex-Fiance insisted with his blame game. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ riding high on its phenomenal success is supposedly the sole reason for Freida’s break-Up.

Freida’s ex hit the headlines suggesting that the hit movie wrecked their romance. The actress is said to have been “infatuated” with co-star Dev Patel. Rohan Antao allegedly proposed to Pinto just days after she won the role of Latika in the Oscar-nominated film. However his allegations are somewhat like, movie bosses had insisted Pinto to keep the engagement under wraps and emphasise on her on-screen relationship with Dev Patel. Antao revealed that the close friendship between the two stars led to his split with Pinto last month.

He is very hurt with the turn of things. He refused to watch the Academy. He tells British tabloid the News of the World, “The film bosses didn’t want her to be engaged. It would affect the whole emphasis of the film, the love story. I had no say in it. “I didn’t go with her (on promotional tours). I asked Freida to spend less time with Dev, but she refused. I had my own work to do and and we weren’t supposed to be seen together. She told me it was a requirement, so I had to get on with it…”

Rohan added that the story did not end here. He added : “…She was comfortable with him and we were talking over the phone less and less. I was ticked off with Dev – and her. I don’t know if they were having a sexual relationship but if I came face to face with him I would have things to say… Now everywhere I go I see them on billboards. I am devastated. I wish her success in her career, but I can’t watch the Oscars, and I don’t want to watch the film – it wrecked our love”.

A.R.Rahman

A.R Rahman’s two biggies at the Oscars will sure bring in the opened gates for the Indian talents in and around the world. Though Indians recognise Rahman with more powerful music that he has provided us with in the past. But the Oscars sure will lift up more and more newer forms of convergence with Indian talent houses. Rahman performed the two hit tracks “Jai Ho” and “O Saya” at the ceremony, amidst thunderous applause.

Rahman bagged his awards for the Best Original Score and Best Song (Jai Ho). Both the Awards went for the track ‘Jai Ho’. Rahman was as shy as he always is. He took his award, gave his speech and seemingly ran off the stage. The musical magician created a furore for the Danny Boyle film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. His track has been hummed by several Global citizens for the fast few weeks. With awards galore and now the Big Daddy in his Bag, Rahman will be counted more than he ever has been.

Rahman delivered as simple a speech as possible which again was heart warming to listen to. Rahman said : “Before coming here I was excited and terrified. It felt like as if it was a marriage. I thank my mother for her blessings and also the Academy. I would also like to thank all the crew and my musicians. All my life I had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I am here God is great.”

Related: 2009 Oscar Winners

Sean Penn

Sean Penn won The Oscars for The Best Actor in the Lead Role. Sean gave out a strong message for the third gender. He supported the homosexual rights. He sounded happy but he was more inclined to share his message with the entire world.

He said that he wanted to be recognised as a Gay loving actor. He also said that gays and homosexuals (As portrayed in his ‘Milk’) had to have the equal rights and an equal life.

Sean joked that being an actor he made it more and more difficult for people to understand and nominate him for his roles. Sean has always been actively vocal about his opinions and while taking the Award he was playing his very own role. His role in Milk transcended with his public message for the third gender.

Related: 2009 Oscar Winners

Heath Ledger's sister Kate, father Kim and mother Sally Bell

Late actor Heath Ledger was honored with yet another award for his brilliant portrayal of Joker in the latest Batman sequel – The Dark Knight. The actor died 13 months ago due to an accidental overdose of prescribed drugs.  Ledger was only 28 when he died.

After Peter Finch, who won an Oscar for Network in 1976, Ledger is the only actor to win a posthumous best actor in a supporting role Oscar. Although the actor seemed to be a sentimental choice but the wiring portrayal of The Joker in the movie Dark Knight is truly awards winning.

Ledger’s family – father Kim Ledger, mother Sally Bell, and sister Kate – came up on the podium to accept the award on his behalf. The actor’s unexpected death left his colleagues and friends devastated. From Winslet to Jolie all those present in the Kodak Theater were all in tears.

Heath Ledger won the Best Supporting Actor

“This award tonight would have humbly validated Heath’s quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here – his peers – within an industry he so loved. Thank you”, said Ledger’s father, Kim, while accepting the award.

Besides the best supporting actor win, Dark knight was honored with a 2nd Oscar in the Best Sound Editing category. The award was picked by Richard King.

Related: 2009 Oscar Winners

The Cast and Crew of Slumdog Millionaire after 8 Oscar Wins

Slumdog Millionaire, the story of a Mumbai slum dweller who wins one million dollar by talking part in a game show, wins 8 Oscar in the 81st Academy Award.

The first win for Slumdog Millionaire comes with the Best Adapted Screenplay nod.  The other films nominated in this category were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon and The Reader.

And this was just the beginning for the rags to riches story in the 81st Academy Awards.  Awards kept showering in. Beaufoy in his acceptance speech for the Best Adapted Screenplay award offered thanks to director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson  referring them as “the other two musketeers”.

Slumdog Millionaire Cast

The win continued with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle receiving the 2nd nod for the movie with a win in the Best Cinematography category.

It was not the end for Slumdog Millionaire. Best Sound Mixing and Best Editing both went to the film. The first individual Oscar award for India came with A.R.Rahman who won the Best Original Score  as well as the Best Original Song both for “Jai Ho”. Rahman began with thanking the  entire cast and crew of the film. He said “Mere Pass Maa Hai”, a popular dialogue from Hindi Film, which means I have mother with me. “All my life I have had a choice between hate and love. I chose love, and that is why I am here”, said Rahman as he concluded his speech tonight.

And this truly seemed to be the night for Slumdog Millionaire. The 7th and the 8th feathers were added to the hat with a Best Director win by Danny Boyle and a Best Picture win by Christian Colson. The overwhelmed director said he accepted the award “in the spirit of Tigger” and has fulfilled all the promises he made to his children. Boyle goes on to thank “everyone who helped us make the film and everyone who didn’t”.

Related: 2009 Oscar Winners

Hugh Jackman - The host for 81st Academy Awards

The Stars have already dazzled the Red Carpet with their presence. A warm welcome to the Oscar 2009 by Hugh Jackman who tied up on stage at the Kodak Theater in LA with his funniest ever live performance.

Penelope Cruz won the Best Supporting Actress

1. Best Supporting Actress: The first Academy Award of the night, Best Supporting Actress, went to Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a film by Woody Allen. In her acceptance speech the actress said, “Has anyone fainted here before, because I may be the first one” and gulped to pay tribute to Allen as well as Spanish mentors Pedro Almodóvar and Bigas Luna.

2. Best Original Screenplay: The Oscar in this category went to Dustin Lance Black for Milk. Black was in tears while receiving the award. He recalled how he drew inspiration from the assassinated gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

Kate Winslet won the Best Actress

3. Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog had its first pick with a win by Simon Beaufoy in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.This could just be the beginning for the rags to riches story.  Beaufoy in his acceptance speech offered thanks to director Danny Boyle and proucer Christian Colson  referring them as “the other two musketeers”.

Sean Penn won Best Actor

4. The Best Animated Feature Film: The award in this category was picked up by Wall-E as it was expected.

5. Best Art Direction: Sarah Jessica Parker along with co-presenter Daniel Craig nervously opened the envelop to announce the award for the Best Art Direction. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leveled itself with Slumdog with its 2nd pick.

6. Best Costume Design: Michael O’Connor for Dutchess. This was the 2nd British success in the 81 Academy Awards.

7. Best Make-Up: Its a make-man’s job to make the characters look realistic. And it was undoubtedly a tough job for Greg Cannom to make Brad Pitt look old and unattractive. The award for the best make-up was picked up by Greg Cannom for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Danny Boyle won Best Director for Slumdog Millionaire

8. Best Cinematography: If directors are the heart of a film, actors the body and sound the soul and cinematographers must be the eyes. The award in the Best Cinematography category was scooped by Anthony Dod Mantle.

9. Best Supporting Actor: The posthumous Oscar went to Heath Ledger for his outstanding performance of Joker in the 2009 Batman Movie – The Dark Knight. Ledger’s family dressed in special costumes offered by Armani came up on the podium to receive the award on his behalf. From Kate Winslet to Angelina Jolie, every stars we seen flashing tears in their eyes. Ledger received a standing ovation by all those who were present.

10. Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with three nods have surpassed the rags to riches story.

11. Best Sound Editing: The Dark Knight

12. Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire

Dustin Lance Black won for Best Original Screenplay

11. Best Editing: The 4th nod for Slumdog Millionaire. Chris Dickens received the award for best editing and said that he loved working with the entire crew of the film and and wished it did not end. ‘I love this film so much that I don’t want it to end. Here’s a final cut that runs 867-minutes’, he said.

12. Best Original Score: The first individual Oscar for India came with the Best Original Score win by A.R.Rahman. With this win Rahman has added the 5th feather to the hat. While receiving the golden statue, Rahman said “Mere Paas Maa Hai“, a popular dialogue from hindi film, which means I have mother with me. He also said Good-bye in his native Tamilian language.

13. Best Original Song: This was the 2nd win for A.R.Rahman and the 6th for Slumdog. His voice chocked in excitement as he gave his acceptance speech. “All my life I have had a choice between hate and love. I chose love, and that is why I am here”, said Rahman as he concluded his speech tonight.

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens - Oscar Presenters

14. Best Director: Its finally Danny Boyle who holds the statue. He jumps with joy upon the podium after holding the golden statue in his hand.

15. Best Actress: This was the first and much awaited win for Kate WInslet. The actress was nearly out of breath while giving her acceptance speech. Waiving her hand to her father who was present among the audience, she thanked her parents for being supportive enough. Five former Oscar winners, which included actresses like Hally Berry, Shirley MacLaine, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, took the stage to choose and support their successor. “I’ve dreamt of this moment since I was an eight-year-old, looking in the bathroom mirror, and this [the Oscar] was a bottle of shampoo. It’s not a shampoo bottle now”, said the actress. Kate did not forget to mention the film’s late producers, Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, and nearly choked. Pausing to take a deep breath she mentioned the names of her fellow nominees and referred them as “goddess”.

Natalie Portman - Oscar Presenter

16. Best Actor: Its none other than Sean Penn for Milk. Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Adrien Brody, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Kingsley, the 5 early Oscar Winners, took the podium right after Kate Winslet’s exit. Sean Penn receives the Oscar for his unforgetable performance of an assassinated gay activist, Harvey Milk, in the Gus van Sant biopic. “You commie, homo-loving sons of guns”, said Penn with a grin. He continued talking of equal rights for everyone irrespective of their sexual preference.

17. Best Picture: The rags to riches story holds the last smile with the Best Picture win. Steven Spielberg took the stage to announce the winner of the Academy Award for best picture. This was the 8th and the final win for Slumdog in the 81st Academy Awards. The entire Cast and Crew were on the podium along with Christian Colson to receive the award.

Related: 2009 Oscar Winners

It would of greatest honor if the music director of Slumdog Millionaire, A. R. Rahman wins an Oscar on Sunday.  Rahman is ranked among the most tallented and successful film composers in India. With his 3 Oscar nominations, best original score and best original song, for both “Jai Ho” and “O … Saya,”, Rahman is the first Indian bag individual nomination in Oscar. The whole score of the movie was recorded in London.

“It would be a great honor”, exclaimed Mr. Rahman with that dimple from Los Angeles, where he was preparing to perform at the ceremony. “It would help me to do bigger things”.

When asked to name a few Western directors he would like to work with, he simply said, “Baz Luhrmann, Ridley Scott. I’m a big fan of Ridley”.

This 43 year old musician from India has worked in more than 100 films since 1992. He scored for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bollywood themed stage musical “Bombay Dreams” in 2002. Since then the career graph Rahman has seen a steady growth in the West.

“I like to see a film and then start scoring it in my mind, while doing something unrelated. You just grasp a film and start working, and something unpredictable comes out from a third element. The mind, the more active it is, the more productive it is”, added the musician.

Rahman’s tunes have enthralled many globally and specially in India. He creates a fusion melody of Indian and Western Classical music. “ He has a rapper from Tanzania working with him and fulfilled a mutual desire to work with M.I.A., part Sri Lankan, part London, part New York. Add the house-music disco beats sweeping Bollywood dance lately and you have a real moment of fusion”, said Danny Boyle, the director of Slumdog.

Rahman, right after the nominations were announced for the 81st Academy Awards, became a national-hero. Good luck to you Mr. Rahman.