ITV

Tag: Oscars

  • Sequel to The Muppets in offing

    Sequel to The Muppets in offing

    MUMBAI: Disney has decided to make a sequel of The Muppets.The family movie, starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams alongside the late Jim Henson‘s puppet creations, claimed the Best Song Academy Award for Man or Muppet at the recent Oscars.

    The film proved to be a hit with film fans when it raked in $ 154.8 million worldwide upon its release last year.
     
    Segel, who co-wrote The Muppets with screenwriter Nicolas Stoller, will not be involved in the writing process this time around due to his other film and TV commitments. "My goal was to bring The Muppets back and I think that I achieved that. It was half a decade of my life and I just want to take a minute to concentrate on more human related projects," Segel has been quoted to have said.

    The Muppets director James Bobin will help Stoller come up with a new adventure for Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.

  • Shaji Karun to head festival directorate in Kerala

    Shaji Karun to head festival directorate in Kerala

    MUMBAI: The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, under eminent filmmaker Shaji N Karun, will form a festival directorate for smooth conduct of International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) this year onward.

    Announcing the new scheme of things, Kerala minister for cinema K B Ganesh Kumar said: “International Film Festival of Kerala has already earned recognition as one of the best known film festivals. The formation of the directorate would improve its character.”

    The Academy also formed sub-committees from among general council members for monitoring programmes, administration, hospitality and media and publicity.

    The long-term plans of the Academy included setting up of a multiplex along with facilities for staging other art forms in Thiruvananthapuram, the minister said.

    The decision was taken in advance to prepare for the 17th International Film Festival of Kerala to be held in December. The Academy‘s National Film Festival would be held at Kothamangalam from 18 March onwards.

    An Oscar festival comprising seven films shown at the recent Oscars would be held this month-end in Thiruvananthapuram.

  • Star Movies takes new marketing steps to promote Oscars

    Star Movies takes new marketing steps to promote Oscars

    MUMBAI: Star Movies is looking to build up the excitement and anticipation for the Oscars® with initiatives across the country with the ‘Star Movies Oscar tour‘, along with the 11 pm film festival, Oscar Fever, showcasing the most acclaimed winning and nominated films, all month long.

    Star Movies is organising an Oscar tour that will give fans across the metros an opportunity to get up, close and pose with a ‘Real’ Oscars Trophy. Star Movies will present the golden statuette won by Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to have won the Oscars in 1983 for best costume design for Gandhi, to Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai. The Oscar® Tour is unique in that no one – let alone a broadcaster – has undertaken an initiative of this nature. In addition, the channel will also be conducting enjoyable on ground Oscar® Quiz in each of these cities to engage with their fans.

    On air, the broadcaster will have ‘Oscar® Fever‘. Every Monday to Friday, fans can catch movies like ‘127 Hours’, Schindler’s List, Toy Story 3, ‘The Fighter‘, ‘Crazy Heart‘. The movie of the month is ‘Black Swan’.

    Star India GM, senior VP, English Channels Saurabh Yagnik said, “This is an exciting opportunity for viewers and it gives us great pleasure to bring this once in a lifetime Oscars® experience for the true Hollywood fans across the country. We are proud to present a ground-breaking, modern and captivating consumer experience that will not just allow consumers to be a part of the Oscars experience on Star Movies, but give them an opportunity to actually feel the thrill of touching and feeling a real Oscars® Trophy when it arrives in their city. We are quite certain that our fans across the country will enjoy the line-up of activities (on air and on ground) that we have in store for them.”

    The channel will air the 84th Academy Awards on 27 February at 6 am with a repeat at 8 pm.

  • DAM 999 gets two Oscar listings

    DAM 999 gets two Oscar listings

    MUMBAI: Despite getting a lackluster treatment from Indian audiences, director Sohan Roy‘s debut venture DAM 999, is looking to make it big at the Oscars. The film has been shortlisted among the 265 films that made to the ballot list for the 2012 Academy Awards.

    Incidentally, the film has made it to the Oscar shortlist as a Hollywood film.

    As if that was not enough, three songs of the film have found a place among the final 39 selected for the Academy‘s Original Songs category.
     
    The songs selected from DAM 999 are its theme song, Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu and Mujhe Chodke. While the lyrics have been penned by Roy himself, the music has been composed by Ousephachan.

    Commenting on the development Roy exclaimed, “This is a crowning achievement for DAM 999. I am happy that my dream project has attained the true recognition it deserves.”

    Malayalam film Adaminte Makan Abu is India‘s official entry.

  • Techinicians making Adaminte Makan Abu technically sound

    Techinicians making Adaminte Makan Abu technically sound

    MUMBAI: After the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected the Malayalam film Adaminte Makan Abu, India‘s official entry to the Oscars, with the comment that the film was "technically too shoddy to make the grade with other contenders", a group of technicians have got together to get the film a technically correct look.

    "Year after year we keep missing out on the Oscar shortlist because our entries lag behind technically. So we felt the need to enhance the technical quality of the film substantially," said the production team in a statement.

    At the 58th National Film Awards last year, the film won four major national awards for best film, best actor, best cinematography and best background score.

    Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, who is working on the project currently, said, "I am re-designing and re-mixing the sound for the film, so it would stand a better chance of making it into the final list after the Oscar submission. I am adding more sounds, and re-designing the entire sound scape and re-mixing the music in surround sound with the thematic aspect of the movie."

    Adaminte Makan Abu tells the story of a poor perfume (attar) seller Abu whose only wish in life is to perform a Haj pilgrimage, which he strives hard to fulfil. But at the verge of the fulfillment, he opts out when he fears that the means is not fully legitimate. The film, directed by Salim Ahmed under the banner of Alan Media, stars Salim Kumar and Zarina Wahab.

  • Brett Ratner steps down as producer of Oscars

    Brett Ratner steps down as producer of Oscars

    MUMBAI: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has accepted Brett Ratner‘s decision to step down as producer of the Oscar ceremony.

    Said an emotional Ratner in a letter to his colleagues, “I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.”

    It is likely that Ratner would be replaced by Eddie Murphy who has been mooted to host the ceremony.

    However, there is no word on who will take over to producing the awards ceremony that is just three and a half months away.

  • Filmfare Awards in a new avtar

    Filmfare Awards in a new avtar

    MUMBAI: The 52nd Fair One Filmfare Awards for excellence in Hindi cinema will be held on 24 February. Filmfare announced the nominations for the popular awards categories.

    The awards event which started in 1954 has been a public event with performances by the stars until now. This year World Wide Media, the company which owns the title decided to make the event a black tie affair taking off from the Oscars. This year the annual awards night will be held at an indoor venue exclusively for the film fraternity.

    Speaking about the awards WWM CEO Devashish Sarkar said, “The event will be a black tie event held along the lines of the Oscars for the film fraternity. The dance and musical entertainment will be pre-recorded for the TV audience. This twin format will allow both the film fraternity and our film fans to enjoy the evening in the manner they ought to.”

    Commenting on the second year of its association with the awards, Elder Pharma director Dr. Anuj Saxena said, “Elder is proud to continue its association with the Filmfare Awards for yet another year. The Fair One Filmfare Awards function is to be very different than in the past – but yet equally spectacular. Elder welcomes the role of celebrating talent and beauty in any field, an undertaking that the company continues to support and encourage through all its ventures, one such initiative being the “Fair One Face of the year Award” category. We hope that this year the Awards will set a trend in the way award ceremonies are held”

    The Awards will be telecast on Sony television on 25 February at 7:30 pm. Speaking about the Awards, SET India Pvt. Ltd CEO Kunal Dasgupta said, “We are extremely proud of our decade long association with Filmfare- ‘the queen of all awards’. Our conviction in this partnership led to the inception of the ‘Sony Face of the Year Award’ and the growing popularity of this award category only strengthens our endeavor to applaud women with talent and proven records of excellence in their chosen fields”.

    The Fair One Filmfare Awards is sponsored by Elder Pharmaceutical, along with associate sponsors Bisleri and Ashrafi Finance.

  • CCTV renews deal for the Oscars

    CCTV renews deal for the Oscars

    MUMBAI: Disney’s TV distribution arm Buena Vista International Television–Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) has announced a TV licensing agreement with China’s movie channel, CCTV-6.

    This agreement builds on the company’s existing relationship with the broadcaster.

    In the first agreement, CCTV-6 has renewed its multi-year licensing agreement with BVITV-AP to broadcast live The 79th Annual Academy Awards including the 30 minute Red Carpet pre-Show on its movie channel. Since 2003, CCTV-6 has been the exclusive broadcaster in China for the live telecast of The Annual Academy Awards® and pre-Show. In India the Oscars will air on Star Movies on 26 February 2007.

    BVITV-AP senior VP, MD Steve Macallister says, “CCTV-6 has been a key business partner for many years and so we are delighted to be continuing our relationship with this new arrangement. As the leading dedicated movie channel in China, it’s only fitting that CCTV-6’s viewers continue to enjoy exclusive and premier access to the biggest movie event of the year, the Oscars.”

    Disney executive VP, MD for China and Hong Kong Stanley Cheung says, “China is a key strategic priority for the company and with these TV licensing agreements we are delivering our strategy to bring great family entertainment to China”.

    Later this year, the movie High School Musical will air on CCTV-6, in a separate multiple movie package deal concluded with BVITV-AP.

    The High School Musical US premiere in January 2006 broke Disney Channel ratings records, and, for its 16 airings, has now been seen by over 40 million unduplicated total viewers. The movie has already reached over 100 million total viewers on a global basis and delivered best-ever ratings for a Disney Channel Original Movie on Disney Channels in New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia and the UK.

    In the Asia Pacific region High School Musical has been licensed to six broadcasters including Seven Australia, The Movie Network Australia, TVNZ New Zealand, 8TV Malaysia, Fiji TV Fiji, and TVB Pearl Hong Kong. The made-for-TV movie made its international terrestrial TV debut in July 2006 in primetime on Seven Network Australia as the #1 movie in 2006 for Tweens 10-15 delivering a 17.9/67% rating/share and the #2 movie on Seven Network this year with a 9.5/40 per cent rating/share for the Under 55s. It premiered on TV2 New Zealand on 19th August, and was the number one programme of the night among People 5+.

  • Annual Academy Awards will be aired live on STAR MOVIES on february 26th at 6:30 a.m. with a repeat at 8:30 p.m.

    MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year again! It is the biggest celebrity event in showbiz … the most important night of the year for the Hollywood stars … the most awaited event of the year that is attended by the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry worldwide – The OSCARS! It’s time to roll out the red carpet and be awed by all the glitz and glamour, once again. And as always they are LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on Star Movies! Hollywood’s biggest event of the year, The 79th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS will be aired LIVE on STAR MOVIES on February 26th at 6:30 a.m. with a prime time repeat on the same day at 8. 30 p.m., giving viewers in India a chance to watch the event, along with millions of viewers, worldwide!

    The event kicks off with a Star Movies Special Event ‘LIVE From The Red Carpet’ offering a first glimpse at what the stars are wearing as they arrive in their limousines and parade down the red carpet. Look for celebrity interviews, fashion statements by Hollywood’s glam brigade dressed to the nines in designer creations and jewelry! Then it’s off to the famed Los Angeles Kodak Theatre for the main event. This year’s host is comedienne-turned-US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, voted one of the funniest people in America by Entertainment Weekly, and she’ll be joined by Hollywood’s finest presenters on this night to be remembered!

    Star Movies has been broadcasting the Oscars since 1999. This year Hollywood’s most important and glamorous awards will again have a big parade of movie stars and other Hollywood types gracing the red carpet in front of Hollywood’s Kodak Theater, dressed to the nines in designer duds and jewelry.

    Having bagged the rights for telecasting The Oscars until 2010, Star Movies has once again lived up to its promise of giving its viewers a wholesome Hollywood experience over and above the freshest and the best of the movies that they bring to the viewers. Star Movies has also been showcasing the ‘Oscar Fever’ to set the mood for its viewers, wherein some of the popular Oscar winning and nominated movies of the recent past have been aired.

     

    So prepare yourself for the BIGGEST and the most popular night LIVE and exclusive on Star Movies, on Monday, February 26th 2006 at 6.30 a.m. (red carpet followed by LIVE presentation) and repeat at primetime 8.30 pm. Root for your favorite nominees and get to know who will receive the highest honor in filmmaking this year!

    Come Home to Hollywood. Come Home to Star Movies.

    About Star

    STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts over 50 television services in nine languages to more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. STAR channels cover all genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese Channel, Star One, Star Utsav, Star World, Vijay, Phoenix Chinese), sports (ESPN, Star Sports), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Phoenix InfoNews Channel). STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world’s largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than 600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies in Asia, STAR businesses extend to filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems, direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. www.startv.com

    For further information please contact:
    In Mumbai:
    Zeenat Khan Shiraz Bhavnani / Aditi Chada
    Asst. Vice President – Publicity Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
    Star India Pvt. Ltd. Tel: 91-22-5656 8787
    Tel No. 91-22-56305555 Fax: 91-22-5656 8788
    Email:sbhavnani@vccpl.com / achada@vccpl.com

     

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    Some nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards

    Best motion picture of the year
    ” Babel
    ” The Departed
    ” Letters From Iwo Jima
    ” Little Miss Sunshine
    ” The Queen

    Achievement in directing
    ” Babel
    ” The Departed
    ” Letters From Iwo Jima
    ” The Queen
    ” United 93

    Performance by an actor in a leading role
    ” Leonardo Dicaprio – Blood Diamond
    ” Ryan Gosling – Half Nelson
    ” Peter O’Toole – Venus
    ” Will Smith – The Pursuit Of Happyness
    ” Forest Whitaker – The Last King Of Scotland

    Performance by an actor in a supporting role
    ” Alan Arkin – Little Miss Sunshine
    ” Jackie Earle Haley – Little Children
    ” Djimon Hounsou – Blood Diamond
    ” Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls
    ” Mark Wahlberg – The Departed

    Performance by an actress in a leading role
    ” Penélope Cruz – Volver
    ” Judi Dench – Notes On A Scandal
    ” Helen Mirren – The Queen
    ” Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada
    ” Kate Winslet – Little Children

    Performance by an actress in a supporting role
    ” Adriana Barraza – Babel
    ” Cate Blanchett – Notes On A Scandal
    ” Abigail Breslin – Little Miss Sunshine
    ” Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls
    ” Rinko Kikuchi – Babel

    Best animated feature film of the year
    ” Cars
    ” Happy Feet
    ” Monster House

    Achievement in art direction
    ” Dreamgirls
    ” The Good Shepherd
    ” Pan’s Labyrinth
    ” Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
    ” The Prestige

    Achievement in cinematography
    ” The Black Dahlia
    ” Children Of Men
    ” The Illusionist
    ” Pan’s Labyrinth
    ” The Prestige

    Achievement in costume design
    ” Curse Of The Golden Flower
    ” The Devil Wears Prada
    ” Dreamgirls
    ” Marie Antoinette
    ” The Queen

    Best documentary feature
    ” Deliver Us From Evil
    ” An Inconvenient Truth
    ” Iraq In Fragments
    ” Jesus Camp
    ” My Country, My Country

    Best documentary short subject
    ” The Blood Of Yingzhou District
    ” Recycled Life
    ” Rehearsing A Dream
    ” Two Hands

    Achievement in film editing
    ” Babel
    ” Blood Diamond
    ” Children Of Men
    ” The Departed
    ” United 93

    Best foreign language film of the year
    ” After The Wedding
    ” Days Of Glory (Indig?nes)
    ” The Lives Of Others
    ” Pan’s Labyrinth
    ” Water

  • Netflix launches marketing campaign for Academy Awards

    Netflix launches marketing campaign for Academy Awards

    MUMBAI: Online movie rental service Netflix has launched a promotional campaign, in cooperation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Amapas).

    The aim is to promote tune-in to the 79th Academy Awards telecast while entertaining movie fans at Netflix’s site. In India the Oscars will air on Star Movies on 26 February.

    Rooted in this year’s Academy Award’s promotional theme, which highlights some of cinema’s most unforgettable movie lines, the multi-platform effort will utilise online, broadcast, viral and print vehicles to give consumers a chance to learn more about the great movies behind the memorable Oscar quotes.

    The promotion will feature a series of efforts, including specially created editorial content at netflix.com and oscar.com. The program will also gain momentum through a national movie quotes survey, communication on Netflix’s iconic red mailers, a national radio promotion and a viral video programme.

    The Oscar-themed messaging on Netflix’s home and awards pages includes tune-in information featuring this year’s Academy Awards key artwork. The site will showcase Netflix’s library of Academy Award-winning films, and is designed to be a fun and interactive way for consumers to learn more about the movies they love. Oscar.com will in turn feature Netflix in relation to the quotes campaign. Visitors to the Oscar site will be given the opportunity to link to netflix.com to learn more about their movies of interest.

    Netflix will also conduct a survey of its members to find out the most memorable and quotable movie lines from 2006. The Netflix viral video programme will capture recognizable personalities, and everyday people, performing their version of memorable movie lines from Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, A Few Good Men and Jerry Maguire.

    The footage will be posted on a video wall which can be accessed at www.netflix.com/oscars beginning on 12 February 2007. Consumers can also post their own video, showcasing quotes from the above mentioned movies, on the site. The first 500 participants will be rewarded with a one-month membership to Netflix. Netflix will also link from this dedicated page to oscar.com where pertinent information about this year’s telecast will be featured.

    Netflix chief marketing officer Leslie Kilgore says, “The Academy Awards are the Super Bowl of the movie business, and we’re extremely pleased to collaborate with the Academy to promote the Oscars and to highlight many of the best loved and best remembered moments in film history.

    “The multi-dimensional nature of the campaign will allow us to reach a wide audience and really engage people in an entertaining way.”