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Tag: Neil Meron

  • David Hill & Reginald Hudlin tapped to produce 88th Oscars

    David Hill & Reginald Hudlin tapped to produce 88th Oscars

    MUMBAI: After this year’s ho-hum response to the Oscars show, which was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the Academy has named two new producers for the 2016 show.

     

    Emmy-winning live television producer David Hill and Oscar-nominated producer-director Reginald Hudlin have been tapped to produce the 88th Oscars telecast.

     

    It will be their first involvement with the Academy Awards, which will be held on 28 February, 2016.

     

    Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said, “We’re delighted to have this talented team on board. David is a true innovator with a dynamic personality. His vast experience as a live events producer, coupled with Reggie’s energy, creativity and talent as a filmmaker, is sure to make this year’s Oscar telecast a memorable one.”

     

    “What a great and exciting honour! The quest is to honour the year in film, honour the art, and above all, make it fun,” said Hill.

     

    “I’m looking forward to working with the Academy again. I love every kind of film and this year’s awards will be a celebration of the total range of cinema,” said Hudlin.

     

    “We’re excited to work with David and Reggie. With their enthusiasm and breadth of experience, they will bring a fresh perspective to the Oscar show,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.

     

    An executive with the Fox group of companies for more than 25 years, Hill most recently served as 21st Century Fox senior executive vice president, overseeing programming, digital initiatives, and other opportunities on five continents. He was previously Fox Sports Media Group chairman and CEO. Hill began his career with News Corporation in Great Britain, where he helped launch Sky Television, introduced the multilingual sports channel Eurosport, and created the subscription channel Sky Sports. He recently left Fox to start his own production company, Hilly, focusing on live and reality television. 

     

    On the other hand, writer, director, producer and executive, Hudlin received a 2012 Best Picture Oscar nomination as a producer of Django Unchained.  Hudlin’s film credits includeBoomerang, The Great White Hype and the award-winning comedy House Party, which he also wrote. He executive produced the TV series The Boondocks and The Black Panther; and has directed for Modern Family, Murder in The First, New Girl and The Office. Last year, Hudlin produced the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards ceremony and has been the executive producer of the NAACP Image Awards since 2012. Hudlin was the first president of entertainment for BET Networks from 2005 to 2009. He is a partner in Milestone Media, a multi-ethnic comic book company distributed by DC Comics, as well as New Nation Networks, a premium content provider in partnership with Google.

  • Academy Awards producers Meron and Zadan step down

    Academy Awards producers Meron and Zadan step down

    MUMBAI: After producing the Oscars for three consecutive years, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan have decided not to return for a fourth stint. 

     

    Zadan and Meron will not be back to take charge of The Academy Awards next year, after fulfilling the terms of a secret contract they signed when they first accepted the job. 

     

    “Craig and Neil have been wonderful creative partners over the last three years, contributing some of the most innovative and memorable Oscar moments. They are true showmen with enormous talent and expertise. We’re looking forward to seeing the exciting projects they have in the works,” said Academy president Cheryl Boone-Isaacs.

     

    During their three-year terms, the producer duo brought on board Seth MACFarlane, Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris as the host for the Oscars.

  • Jennifer Hudson to perform at the 87th Oscars

    Jennifer Hudson to perform at the 87th Oscars

    MUMBAI: Oscar and Grammy-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson will be performing on the 87th Oscars.

     

    “We’re creating several musical sequences for the Oscars and we couldn’t be happier that our friend, Jennifer Hudson, will be performing in one of them,” said show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

     

    Hudson won the Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role for the 2006 film Dreamgirls. Her other acting credits include Sex and the City (2008), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Winnie Mandela (2013) and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013). 

     

    Hudson’s self-titled debut album won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and was certified Gold, as was her second album, I Remember Me. This year she was nominated for Best R&B Performance for the song It’s Your World, from her 2014 album, JHUD.

     

    The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will be held on 22 February.

  • Anna Kendrick to perform at 87th Oscars

    Anna Kendrick to perform at 87th Oscars

    MUMBAI: Actress and singer Anna Kendrick will make a special appearance at the 87th Oscars. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will be held on 22 February.

     

    “Out of the woods and on to the Oscar stage, Anna will be performing something special that is sure to be an “Only on the Oscars” moment,” said show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

     

    Kendrick was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in the 2009 film Up in the Air. Her other film credits include Into the Woods (2014), Pitch Perfect (2012) and the Twilight film series. In 1998, at the age of 12, Kendrick was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for High Society. She will star in the films The Last Five Years, The Hollars and Pitch Perfect 2 later this year.

  • Jennifer Lawrence to present at this year’s Oscars

    Jennifer Lawrence to present at this year’s Oscars

    MUMBAI: Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence (The House at the End of the Street) will return to present at the 86th Annual Academy Awards this year, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today in a press statement. Lawrence took home the golden statuette for her lead performance in Silver Linings Playbook. She is nominated this year for her supporting role in American Hustle. Previously Lawrence was nominated for her leading role in Winter’s Bone. Her other credits include X-Men: First Class and The Hunger Games series. 

     

    Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Sunday, 2 March, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, Los Angeles and televised live on American Broadcasting Network (ABC). The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air in India on Monday, 3 March live on Star Movies at 5:30 am with a repeat telecast at 8:00 pm.

  • Craig Zadan, Neil Meron return to produce the Oscars

    Craig Zadan, Neil Meron return to produce the Oscars

    MUMBAI: The motion picture, television and theater producing team of Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will return to produce the Oscars for a second time next year.

    Academy president Hawk Koch made the announcement. The Academy Awards will air live on ABC in the US on 2 March, 2014.

    Koch said, "Craig and Neil have the overwhelming support of the Academy’s Governors to produce the Oscars again in 2014. In order to establish continuity with this year‘s enormously successful show, we felt it was important to give these consummate professionals the green light now to begin creating another great evening."

    Zadan and Meron said, "We are very honored to have been asked to return as Oscar producers for a second year. We look forward to creating a distinctive and entertaining show."
    Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said, “Craig and Neil have great relationships, a sense of showmanship, and a passion for our Academy. And they’re a pleasure to work with. All perfect qualities for our show."

    The February 2013 Oscars hosted by Seth MacFarlane, drew an average audience of 40.3 million total viewers and delivered a 13.0 rating among adults 18-49. The show was TV’s most-watched entertainment telecast in the last three years on ABC. Overall, it was the Oscars second-most-watched telecast since 2005.

    Among the innovations that Zadan and Meron plan to bring back to the 2014 show is the Oscar Experience College Search, which allows young filmmakers to assist with bringing the Oscar statuettes on-and-off stage during the show.

    The Zadan/Meron Oscars displayed a signature style that incorporated a single concept for the entire evening which linked together the disparate elements of the Oscar show through music, especially classic movie themes and the frequent appearances by MacFarlane to announce the evening’s presenters. The 2013 show was also distinguished by the use of motion picture talent as performers in the show such as the dance numbers performed by Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

  • Kelly Rowland joins presenters for Oscar awards pre-show

    Kelly Rowland joins presenters for Oscar awards pre-show

    MUMBAI: Singer Kelly Rowland has announced that she has been invited to join actress Kristin Chenoweth, Entertainment Weekly managing editor Jess Cagle and ‘Good Morning America‘ anchor Lara Spencer to host the official Oscar pre-show, ‘The Oscars Red Carpet Live‘.

    The show is executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of the Oscar telecast, and produced by Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare for Don Mischer Productions.

    ‘The Oscars Red Carpet Live‘ will take place on Monday 25 February in front of the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center and be televised live on Star Movies. The red carpet show will also be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

  • Mark Wahlberg, Ted to present at Oscars

    Mark Wahlberg, Ted to present at Oscars

    MUMBAI: Actor Mark Wahlberg and his co-star in the film ‘Ted‘ who was a teddy bear will be presenters on the Oscar show, telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced.

    Zadan and Meron said, “We are happy to make it possible for Mark and Ted to make their debut appearance on the Oscar stage. And we won‘t deny that Ted used his pull with our host to get himself the booking.”

    ‘Ted’ is now the highest-grossing R-rated original comedy of all time. Ted said, “I‘m excited to present an Oscar with Mark Wahlberg. I‘m spending the next month learning to pronounce ‘Quvenzhané.‘”

    Wahlberg has twice been nominated for Academy Awards, in 2006 for his supporting role in ‘The Departed‘ and in 2010 as a producer of the best picture nominee ‘The Fighter‘.

    Wahlberg and Ted join a list of previously announced Oscar performers including Adele, Norah Jones and Barbra Streisand.

    The Oscar Awards take place on 25 February 2013 and will air on Star Movies.

  • This year, Barbara Streisand returns to Oscar stage after 36 years

    This year, Barbara Streisand returns to Oscar stage after 36 years

    MUMBAI: Two-time Oscar winner Barbara Streisand will perform at the upcoming Oscar ceremony on 24 February.

    Streisand sung only once before during at the Academy Awards. She last sang the love theme from A Star Is Born in the 1977 show winning the best original song Oscar for Evergreen the same night.

    “In an evening that celebrates the artistry of movies and music. How could the telecast be complete without Barbra Streisand? We are honored that she has agreed to do a very special performance on this year‘s Oscars, her first time singing on the show in 36 years,” said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

    Streisand won her first Oscar for Best Actress in the Funny Girl in 1968 and was nominated again in 1973 for her spectacular performance in The Way We Were.

    The Academy awards will take place on 24 February.

  • Oscar Awards to pay tribute to movie musicals

    Oscar Awards to pay tribute to movie musicals

    MUMBAI: The Oscar Awards, which take place next month will include a special celebration of movie musicals of the last ten years, the telecast‘s producers have announced.

    The show‘s producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said, “The musical as a motion picture genre has had a remarkable renaissance in the last decade. We are excited to showcase three musical films — ‘Chicago,‘ ‘Dreamgirls‘ and ‘Les Misérables‘ — on our Oscar show.”

    This year ‘Les Miserables‘ has been nominated for Best Picture. ‘Chicago‘ won the Best Picture Oscar a decade ago. Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Dreamgirls‘ Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on 25 February at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane.

    It will air live on Star Movies. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide including in the US on ABC.