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Tag: Academy Awards

  • The Oscars to stream live on Watch ABC

    The Oscars to stream live on Watch ABC

    MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the Oscars preshow and full awards telecast will stream live for verified Watch ABC viewers online and on mobile devices.  The Watch ABC app allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as next day on demand access to most series, making it possible for fans to watch the entire the Oscars experience – including Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars – in more places and at more times than ever before.

     

    Live streaming is currently available through Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, Google Fiber and AT&T U-verse in ABC’s eight Owned Station markets – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno.  Once aired, the full Oscars telecast and pre-show will be available on demand via WATCH ABC for verified viewers for three days, through Wednesday, March 5.  WATCH ABC can be accessed from Oscar.com, ABC.com, and WATCHABC.com or via the WATCH ABC app, which is free on select Android devices and iOS and can be downloaded at Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, and the App Store.  Verified viewers then log in using their cable or satellite subscription username and password.

     

    The Academy and Disney/ABC Television Group’s Digital Media team are also unveiling the talent line up for their Emmy Award-winning Oscar second screen experience, The Oscars Backstage, which will also be streamed this year to all viewers – regardless of whether they are verified – via Watch ABC.  Hosts and correspondents include: 

     

    •Entertainment Reporter and Film Critic Ben Lyons (Yahoo, “Extra!,” ESPN Radio, “E! News,” among others) and fashion retail correspondent and author Hitha Prabhakar (who has contributed to ABC World News, Good Morning America, Nightline, Bravo, CNN, E! Entertainment television, among others) will co-host from the red carpet and backstage.

    •PEOPLE’s Managing Editor Peter Castro will once again report from the fan bleachers on the red carpet.  The bleachers are sponsored by Time Inc.’s PEOPLE, which invites 700 fans and PEOPLE VIP subscribers to watch and cheer nominees, presenters and film’s biggest stars as part of the PEOPLE Oscar Fan Experience.

    •Good Morning America and ESPN contributing editor Chris Connelly is returning as the official greeter of the Oscars Red Carpet, which includes welcoming nominees, presenters and performers to the show.  

     

    Presented again this year by Samsung Galaxy, The Oscars Backstage is designed to be the ultimate complement to the live telecast. All Oscar viewers who visit WATCH ABC will be able to select from three channels that will pull from more than 15 live cameras strategically placed on the Red Carpet and throughout the backstage areas of the Dolby Theatre, providing fans with insider views into the most memorable moments of the night. Popular cameras positions include the Thank You cam, Winners Walk, Audience and Press Room.   Fans will also be able to access the official Oscar Buzz social feed and popular photo galleries from within the app.   The Oscars Backstage experience launched in 2011 to much acclaim and has been recognized with an Emmy for Creative Achievement in Interactive Arts and an Industry Star Mobile Excellence Award.  It remains unprecedented in terms of live event second screen access. 

     

    “We’re extremely proud of how much the Oscar Digital Experience has evolved,” said Albert Cheng, EVP and Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Disney/ABC Television Group in a press release. “This year more people than ever before will have access to the backstage streams and verified WATCH ABC viewers will be able to participate in the most interactive Oscars to date, seamlessly navigating between the pre-show, telecast and The Oscars Backstage experience on their mobile devices.”

     

    “We’re excited to once again bring viewers backstage and allow them to experience all of the action on Oscar Sunday – not just what happens on stage, but the stories that play out behind-the-scenes as well”, said Josh Spector, Managing Director of Digital Media and Marketing at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a statement.

     

    Additionally, video highlights from the telecast and The Oscars Backstage will be available as embeddable clips on Oscar.com almost immediately after they air at Oscar.com/blogs. Full  performances of the shows musical performances, including Pharrell (Happy), Idina Menzel, (Let It Go),  Karin O (The Moon Song) and U2 (Ordinary Love) will be featured in a dedicated “Musical Moments” section sponsored by Pepsi that includes in-depth video and photo coverage of past music winners. 

     

    The site is also showcasing nominees “in their own words,” a collection of official nominee questionnaires, including Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Michael Fassbender (Shame), June Squibb (Nebraska), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), among others.  To add to the fun, insanely addicting quizzes from past year’s awards shows are featured, including: “Guess Who Won Best Actress”, “Guess the Dress”, “Who Starred In?”, and “Script to Screen”.  The hugely popular “My Picks” interactive ballot is also live.  Friends can view and share the ballot on Facebook, which will update in real time on Oscar Night, ensuring that the most competitive Oscar handicappers are instantly aware of their ranking among friends. 

     

    Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    The 9th annual Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars airs Sunday, 2 march in the US after the late local news ET/CT and at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time on ABC. It will also be available live and on demand via the WATCH ABC app.  Broadcasting from Disney’s El Capitan Theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in the heart of L.A.’s star-studded Walk of Fame, the studio is just steps away from Dolby Theater, home to the “Academy Awards.” Past guest appearances on Kimmel’s post-Oscar specials have included Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Ellen DeGeneres, Jessica Chastain, Jude Law, Channing Tatum, John Krasinski, Samuel L. Jackson and many more. Additionally, previous comedy bits featured include the epic trailers for Movie: The Movie, which has been viewed over 24 million times on YouTube, the follow-up Movie: The Movie: 2V as well as Toddlers and Tiaras with Tom Hanks and Kimmel pitching show ideas to Oprah. Last year’s Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars marked the most-watched post-Oscar telecast in the franchise’s history.

  • Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    MUMBAI: Star Movies announced that it will broadcast the eminent awards ceremony honoring achievements in the film industry, Oscars Live and Exclusive’, in India. Known as the Hollywood destination of India, Star Movies will be airing the Oscars for the 15th year in succession reinforcing its commitment to bringing its viewers the very best of American cinema.  Set to take place on 2 March, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the 86th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the actors, technical achievements, and films of 2013.

     

    Star Movies gives its viewers another reason to look forward to the Oscars this year with the return of Ellen DeGeneres as host of the celebrated ceremony for the second time. DeGeneres hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.”  Star Movies has aired a special video that the affable daytime chat show host has made for her fans in India. The promo has her donning a tux and putting on a special Oscars themed performance.

     

    Star Movies will exclusively showcase all the celebrity interviews and excitement from the Red Carpet to the performances of the most coveted awards night to the winners of the most prestigious trophy. The channel is dedicated to bringing an authentic Oscars experience right into their viewers living rooms. The channel will also be broadcasting the entire ceremony in Dolby 5.1 surround sound to create the best audio experience possible. In addition to this, the channel has introduced a month long movie festival featuring Oscar winning movies titled, ‘Oscar Fever’. The ‘Oscar Fever’ segment will air from Monday to Friday, at 7 pm and presents its audiences a spectacular Oscars experience with a variety of films nominated for the prestigious awards in the past years.

     

    The channel has also conducted a Predict and Win contest where the winners are given an chance to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the Oscars Red Carpet 2015 in LA from the bleacher seats! To participate all the viewers need to do is log on to the STARMovies.in/Oscars2014 and predict the winners for this year’s categories.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Kevin Vaz, General Manager – English channels, Star India said, “Star Movies is the go-to destination for Hollywood in India and we want to ensure that our viewers get the best of the Oscars experience possible. The Oscar Fever festival will air a host of excellent Oscar nominated films and the Predict and Win contest will grant two lucky winners a chance to attend the grand event in person.”

     

    The star-studded 86th Academy Awards will be telecast ‘Live’ on March, 3 February at 5:30am and a repeat telecast at 8 pm.

  • Two Indian movies nominated for the 8th Asian Film Awards

    Two Indian movies nominated for the 8th Asian Film Awards

    NEW DELHI: The Lunchbox by Ritesh Batra may have failed to make it to the Academy nominations but it figures prominently in the nominations for the Asian version of the Oscars — the 8th Asian Film Awards.

     

    The awards are to be presented on 27 March at a ceremony to be held at the City of Dreams casino resort in Macau, and the nominations were announced in Hong Kong over the weekend.

     

    The Lunchbox has been nominated for the best film award and Ritesh Batra has been nominated for the best screenplay while actor Irrfan Khan is in the list of best actor awards.

     

    The only other Indian film to make it to the nominations is Bhag Milka Bhag by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the music composers of which – Shankar Ehsaan Loy – have been nominated for best music category.

     

    Renowned filmmaker Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster topped with eleven nominations including best film and best director out of 14 categories. The highly stylised martial arts drama opened the Berlin festival this time last year.

     

    After being organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited (HKIFF) for the past seven years, this year’s award is being organised by the new Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA), a combined effort between the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), and the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

     

    Competing closely with Wong Kar-wai is Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi fantasy Snowpiercer with five nominations including best film and best director.

     

    A total of 28 films from ten countries and regions have been nominated this year from over a thousand eligible films. Hong Kong films have the most nominations with a total of 19 shared between The Grandmaster (11 nominations), Rigor Mortis (4 nominations), Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (3 nominations) and The Way We Dance (1 nomination).

     

    Films from South Korea and Japan are tied at 14 nominations each. In addition to the five recognitions for Snowpiercer, the nominated South Korean films are Cold Eyes (4 nominations), The Attorney (3 nominations), Mr. Go (1 nomination) and The Face Reader (1 nomination).

     

    The 14 nominations for films from Japan are shared between The Great Passage (3 nominations), Like Father, Like Son (3 nominations), Why Don’t You Play in Hell? (3 nominations), Tokyo Family (2 nominations), Backwater (1 nomination), and The Ravine of Goodbye (1 nomination).

     

    HKIFF’s chairman Wilfred Wong is Chairman of the AFAA committee, which also includes BIFF’s Lee Yong-kwan and TIFF’s Shiina Yasushi.

     

    Director Peter Chan is serving as this year’s jury president, with Donnie Yen joining as a “celebrity jury” member. The two are joined by the Philippines’ Ronald Arguelles, Indonesia’s John Badalu, Japan’s Ishizaaka Kenji, France’s Christian Jeune, Singapore’s Eric Khoo, South Korea’s Lee Yong-kwan, Thailand’s Kong Rithdee, Taiwan’s Wen Tien-hsiang as well as Hong Kong’s Jacob Wong and Patricia Cheng.

     

    “Each industry, although successful commercially, is becoming more and more localised, catering to the taste of local audiences. As a result there are fewer channels for crossover distribution outside local markets. I think AFA is not only important in its celebration of Asian film and filmmakers, but an event that can bring Asian films together,” says Chan.

     

    For the first time this year, the award ceremony has been moved to a venue outside of Hong Kong, to a casino resort in neighbouring Macau. While the ceremony is traditionally held on the first day of the Hong Kong FilMart, this year’s ceremony will be held on 27 March, the final day of this year’s film market.

  • PVR celebrates 86th Academy Awards

    PVR celebrates 86th Academy Awards

    NEW DELHI: PVR Cinemas, the largest cinema exhibition company in India, announces the opening of the PVR Oscar Film Festival in India, starting from 31st January till 6th February 2014. With this endeavor, PVR brings globally acclaimed movies which have been nominated for this year’s Academy Awards to the nine cities in India including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Kochi.

     

    PVR has always aimed to give the best to its audience by offering world class cinema. This year, besides bringing movies like ‘American Hustle’, ‘The Wolf of the Wall Street’, ‘12 years a Slave’ which have received major nominations at the Oscars, PVR cinemas will also showcase ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and ‘August Osage County’ at the OSCAR Film Festival almost a month before the scheduled theatrical release of these two films in India.

     

    Talking about the festival, Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Ltd, said, “PVR has consistently worked towards offering the best cinema experience to the Indian audience. People from the film fraternity as well the audience look up to the Academy Awards for the quality cinema that it entails. Keeping up with our promise we are very excited to host PVR Oscar Film Festival in India.”

     

    The Oscar Film Festival by PVR is hosted to keep the cities entertained with movies of immense action and drama. The multiplex is expected to witness heavy footfalls with movie connoisseurs excited for their favorite movies.

     

    About PVR Limited

     

    PVR is the largest and the most premium film entertainment company in India. It is listed as India’s Most Trusted and Most Attractive brand – The Brand Trust Report, 2013 in the Category of Entertainment and Display. PVR is currently amongst the top 10 cinema companies in the world with respect to the terms of admissions per screen, entering the World Economic Forum’s List of Fastest-Growing ‘Global Growth Companies’. The brand currently operates a cinema circuit comprising 408 screens in 95 cinemas spread across 39 cities in India.

     

    The company acquired the Cinemax properties in 2012 and currently serves 65 million patrons at PAN India level. From PVR’s Gold Class and Mainstream Cinemas to Director’s Cut, PVR has made exceptional technology like the IMAX® and the ECX (Enhanced Cinema Experience) accessible to its audience. PVR as a brand is known for cultivating and spreading international movie culture countrywide and supports independent filmmakers under the banner of ‘Directors Rare’.

     

    PVR Ltd, the integrated ‘film and retail brand’ has PVR Cinemas as its major subsidiary. Its other two subsidiaries are PVR Leisure and PVR Pictures. PVR Leisure focuses on rolling out F&B and retail entertainment concepts. It’s one of a kind venture, ‘PVR BluO’ is the largest bowling chain in India comprising of 135 cosmic bowling lanes which spreads across 6 centers. PVR Leisure’s first casual dining concept ‘Mistral’ is another venture that offers patrons a high quality experience. Adding to the portfolio, PVR Pictures has been a prolific distributor of non-studio/ independent international films in India for many years.

     

    For any further information, please refer to the enclosed link

    http://www.pvrcinemas.com/corporate/about-us.aspx

     

    For any media query please contact:

    Avian Media

    Silky Chopra/ Kanika Berry / Chinmoyee Kalita

    9650303863/ 9810744517 / 9999874549

  • Get ready for an online adventure as Life of Pi premieres on Star Movies

    Get ready for an online adventure as Life of Pi premieres on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: It was one of the highest grossing Hollywood films in India in 2012. Now, as Life of Pi is slated for a TV premiere soon on Star Movies, the channel has come up with an innovative experiment to involve the viewers. Having acquired the telecast rights of the Oscar-winning film directed by Ang Lee, Star Movies will premiere the film on Sunday, 27 October at 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The channel is leaving no stone unturned to create the right buzz around the movie that will be broadcast as part of their most distinguished slot – “Hollywood Premiere”.

     

    To engage the audience well, the channel is using the interactive power of the digital medium to reach out to its audience by launching an experiential online journey based on the movie. “Most of the film has been shot in India and has Indian stars. Since we really believe that the premiere will fetch good results in the Indian market, we are planning a strategy that can pull more audience,” says Star Network (English channels) general manager Kevin Vaz, informing about an online game, “Life of I” that they are launching before the premiere of the film.

     

    The game invites viewers to experience the journey of a lifetime through the lens of Pi. The participants can log in to the game via Facebook where they have the chance to map out their own journey based on the events that transpire in the movie. The game has eight milestones. A player who crosses all the milestones becomes eligible for a trip to landmark locations where Life of Pi was shot – including Puducherry, Munnar and Taiwan, in addition to other prizes. A person who plays the entire game will also get a personalised video of their journey that will comprise a part of their Facebook journey. The video acts as a memoir of their journey as they live in real life their own version of the movie.

     

    Kevin says that the channel has taken the entire initiative to plan the trip for the winners. “We haven’t roped in travelling partners. We will be doing it on our own,” he adds.

     

    “Not just this, to create enough buzz, we have also created special videos shot with the stars of the movie that will give the audience an insight into the film’s making, with anecdotes that happened during the shooting of the film,” says Kevin, who thinks that an extra effort has to be made in order to get more audience and survive in the world of cut-throat competition. “Whenever we have made an extra effort to promote a show or a film, it has reaped good results. Case in point, the Academy Awards, which we promoted across mediums with new initiatives, gave us many viewers,” says Kevin, who thinks that very soon such efforts will be made with all big movie premieres.

  • 21 animated films for Academy Awards consideration

    21 animated films for Academy Awards consideration

    MUMBAI: Twenty-one animated features, put alphabetically from Adventures in Zambezia to Zarafa, have been submitted for the consideration if the Academy Awards.
    The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
    Adventures in Zambezia, Brave, Delhi Safari, Dr. Seuss‘ The Lorax, Frankenweenie, From Up on Poppy Hill, Hey Krishna, Hotel Transylvania, Ice Age Continental Drift, A Liar‘s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python‘s Graham Chapman, Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted, The Mystical Laws, The Painting, ParaNorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits,The Rabbi‘s Cat, Rise of the Guardians, Secret of the Wings, Walter & Tandoori‘s Christmas, Wreck-It Ralph and Zarafa.
    Under the rules of the Academy, since more than 16 films have been submitted, a maximum of five films may be nominated when nominees are announced on 10 January.
    This year‘s submissions include entries from major animation houses like Pixar‘s Brave, Disney‘s Frankenweenie and Wreck-It Ralph, DreamWorks Animation‘s Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted and Rise of the Guardians, Fox/Blue Sky Studio‘s Ice Age: Continental Drift, Universal/Illumination‘s Dr. Seuss‘ The Lorax, Sony Animation‘s Hotel Translyvania and Focus/Laika‘s ParaNorman.
    The entries also include a bumper crop of indie and foreign-made animated efforts. Like Adventures in Zambezia, made in South Africa has birds that live near Africa‘s Victoria Falls as its characters. Zarafa is a French-made film about a young boy who escapes slave traders and befriends a giraffe.
    Several of the films listed have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying runs. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements before they can advance in the voting process. Films submitted for animated feature may also qualify for Oscars in other categories, including best picture, provided they meet the requirements in those categories.
    The submissions will be reviewed by the Academy‘s animation branch to determine that they have met all the eligibility requirements and will be viewed by a screening committee or committees which will rate each film on a score of six to ten. Those movies rating an average score of 7.5 will be eligible for nomination.

  • Dolby Laboratories is sponsor of next Academy awards

    Dolby Laboratories is sponsor of next Academy awards

    MUMBAI: Under a 20-year deal, Dolby Laboratories has been named sponsor of the former Kodak Theatre in the Hollywood & Highland Center that will host the Academy Awards. The complex is owned by the CIM Group.
    The naming rights became available after the Eastman Kodak Co. went bankrupt and a federal judge allowed it to get out of its 20-year deal, which was costing the company a little more than $4 million a year. Kodak left the venue after 10 years as name sponsor.
    Last December, the Academy in anticipating Kodak‘s problems, had not renewed its option on the theatre that allowed it to negotiate a new deal or leave for another venue. It was clear from the beginning,however, that the Academy preferred to stay in the venue. The organization had given CIM an exclusive first window to negotiate, which resulted in Tuesday‘s three-way deal.
    Simultaneously, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has also stated that it has renegotiated its deal with the CIM Group for the Oscars to remain in the theatre through at least 2033. That‘s a 20-year extension beyond the current contract, which was to expire after the 2013 show.
    The Academy also closed a separate 20-year deal with Dolby related to the naming rights.

    “The Academy‘s board of governors believes that the home for our awards is in Hollywood; it is where the Academy and the motion picture industry are rooted,” Academy president Tom Sherak has reportedly said. “We are pleased to have a new agreement with CIM that will continue our long-standing partnership,” he observed.

    CIM also welcomed the new deal.

  • ‘Bridesmaids’ cast to present at 84th Academy Awards

    ‘Bridesmaids’ cast to present at 84th Academy Awards

    MUMBAI: Six actresses – Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig – from the comedy ‘Bridesmaids‘ will be presenters at the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced.
     
    McCarthy received her first Oscar nomination this year for her supporting role in the film, and Wiig also became a first-time nominee for the film‘s original screenplay. All six will be making their first Oscar show appearances.
     
    The Academy Awards will air on Star Movies on 27 February. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries, including on ABC in the US.

  • DAM 999 exits from Oscar race

    DAM 999 exits from Oscar race

    MUMBAI: Producer-director Sohan Roy‘s DAM 999, the country‘s only hope at the Oscars this year, has failed to secure a place in the final nomination list of the 84th Academy Awards.

    Commenting on the result, Roy said in a statement, “I consider this as an achievement that my film travelled this far in the Oscars and I am happy with that.”

    Roy was waiting for Tuesday to decide the future course of action for marketing his debut film. “We are now getting ready to participate in the European Film Market which begins in Berlin next month where the marketing of the film would be finalised,” Roy added.

    DAM 999 tells the tale of a cracking dam built during colonial rule and revolves around nine characters and their emotions.

    The film stood a chance to feature in the best picture, best original song and best original score categories.

  • Razzies awards on April 1

    Razzies awards on April 1

    MUMBAI: Organisers of the Razzies Awards, termed as a spoof on the Academy Awards picks the year‘s worst films, have altered the schedule of their nominations and awards ceremony.

    Earlier, the Razzies used to announce contenders the night before the Oscar nominations, but this year the nominations will be released on February 25 a day before the Oscar ceremony.Winners of the Razzies will be announced on April 1.
     
    A news release announcing the change also says that it will give the 600 Razzies voters "additional time to see the dreck they will eventually nominate."