Turner Classic Movies to Premiere Oscar®, New Documentary by Academy Award®–Winners Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman

Oscar, Produced by Telling Pictures Inc., in Association with the Motion Picture Academy

 

To Premiere in February 2014, During TCM's Annual 31 Days of Oscar, CNN Films to Encore the Film

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will present the world premiere of Oscar, a brand-new documentary tracing the history of the Academy Awards®, as part of its annual 31 Days of Oscar showcase, leading up to ABC’s live Academy Awards telecast on March 2.  Produced by Telling Pictures, Inc., in association with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) and Hollywood Newsreel,this fascinating special will take movie lovers on a journey through Hollywood history as it tells its story of the little statuette that became the industry's most coveted prize.

Oscar is set to have its world television premiere on TCM Saturday, Feb. 1, the opening night of the 2014 edition of 31 Days of Oscar. With the new documentary as its centerpiece, 31 Days of Oscar will be themed around the history of the Academy Awards. Featuring more than 300 Oscar-winning and nominated films, the month-long showcase will take a deep look into the world’s oldest, most important and most prestigious film award. Each night's lineup will feature a complete set of nominated films that faced each other in a particular category, beginning Feb. 1 with all 10 Best Picture nominees from 1939: Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Of Mice and Men, Ninotchka, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Dark Victory and Love Affair.

Oscar is being written, directed and executive-produced by Oscar-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt). Christopher Pavlick and Rick Spalla are also producing. The documentary is one of several major programming events leading up to TCM's 20th anniversary in April 2014.

To bring its story to life, Oscar will be packed with great moments from 85 years of Academy Award ceremonies, which were first held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, now home to the TCM Classic Film Festival each spring. The special will also feature extensive clips from Oscar-winning and nominated films, plus exclusive, behind-the-scenes ceremony footage from the archives of Hollywood Newsreel, much of it never shown before.  CNN Films will air the encore presentation of the documentary on CNN, following the film’s first broadcast on TCM.

A growing list of Academy Award-winning and nominated actors and actresses are being interviewed for Oscar, including Annette Bening (American Beauty), Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), Cher (Moonstruck), George Clooney (Syriana), Benicio Del Toro (Traffic), Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost), Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Forrest Gump), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen).

From behind the camera, Oscar will feature interviews with such award-winning filmmakers and producers as Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan), Kathleen Kennedy (Schindler's List), Freida Lee Mock (Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision), Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine), Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) and Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams).

The interview roster also includes Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan); Academy Award-winning editor Kirk Baxter (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo); award-winning production designer Jeannine Claudia Oppewall (L.A. Confidential); award-winning costume designer Jeffrey Kurland (Inception); Academy Award-winning make-up artist Ve Neil (Beetlejuice, Mrs. Doubtfire, Ed Wood); Oscar-winning visual effects designer Craig Barron (Titanic); Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt (Star Wars, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial).

In addition, Oscar will feature an interviews with frequent Academy Award ceremony host Billy Crystal (When Harry Met Sally…), ceremony producer Don Mischer and head writer Bruce Vilanch, as well as former Academy executive director Bruce Davis and cinematographer and Board of Governors member John Bailey (As Good as It Gets). The special will also include a chat with TCM host, author and Academy Awards historian Robert Osborne, whose book 85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards is set to be released Oct. 29 from Abbeville Press.

Oscar will not only tell the history of the Academy Awards, but also highlight the relationship between the honored movies and major historical events and trends. Woven throughout the narrative will be segments about the major categories, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Picture, as well as sidebars about the annual parade of fashions on the red carpet, memorable host monologues and emotion-packed tributes.

“We’re delighted to partner with TCM on this extraordinary 85-year history of the Academy Awards,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Rob and Jeffrey are in the midst of producing a fantastic showcase of special Oscar moments that will take audiences on a memorable cinematic journey.”

"I can think of no better way to celebrate more than 85 years of Oscar than by telling the story of the Academy Awards," said Jeff Gregor, general manager of TCM and chief marketing officer for TCM, TNT and TBS. "And there's no network that can tell that story like TCM. We're proud to make the February 2014 premiere of Oscar the centerpiece of TCM's annual 31 Days of Oscar, where it will be surrounded by a carefully curated lineup of more than 300 Academy Award-winning and nominated films."

Oscar is one of several major programming events leading up to TCM's 20th anniversary in April 2014.

MELANIE GRIFFITH AND DOT JONES JOIN BEST IN DRAG SHOW® 2013 AS CELEBRITY JUDGES

Los Angeles, September 23, 2013 – Best in Drag Show® – the outrageous and long-running annual fundraiser for Aid for AIDS – has announced that Academy Award nominee Melanie Griffith and Emmy Award nominee Dot Jones have joined the celebrity judges panel for the show’s 11th anniversary. Best in Drag Show® will be held on October 6, 2013 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Griffith and Jones are joining the previously announced Emmy Award winner Holland Taylor (Two and A Half Men), Golden Globe nominee Mireille Enos (The Killing), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Bellamy Young (Scandal), and Kathy Kinney (The Secret Life of the American Teenager).

Event co-founder Patrick Rush will return to host the show.  Jeffrey Drew, long-time lead star throughout the history of Best In Drag Show®, will once again direct, choreograph and helm the 2013 production.

The 2013 contestants include Sash Carl (Miss California: Beverly Center​),  D'Nez Westmoreland (Miss Michigan: Electra Caprice Riviera), Stephen Molinaro (Miss New Jersey: Vava Fanculo), Mike Cativo (Miss Puerto Rico: Mimi E), Dajuan Powns (Miss Washington DC: Ciera Lyon), and Aron Ross (Miss Wisconsin: Misty O'Portunity).

Best in Drag Show® was originally founded by Alexis Pittman with a small group of friends in his West Hollywood living room in 1989. Then called Battle for the Tiara, the event raised $400, collected from twenty people.  Due to its increasing popularity, the show was moved to subsequently larger venues and has grown into a large and highly-anticipated annual beauty pageant spoof that makes fun of itself, while keeping the focus on giving back to the community.  The current version has run since 2003, and has raised over $3 million for Aid for AIDS, in support of the work of the non-profit throughout Los Angeles County to prevent homelessness and hunger for men, women, children and families with HIV/AIDS.

To purchase tickets, visit: www.bestindragshow.org or call 323-344-4880

About Aid for AIDS

Aid for AIDS was founded in 1983 by a group of friends in the Hollywood gay community to provide at-home care for patients facing the end stages of the disease. Since then, AFA has become Los Angeles County’s premier, non-profit provider of direct financial assistance to those impoverished and disabled by HIV/AIDS.

To provide a robust continuum of care and meet the changing needs of the community, AFA merged with the Serra Project in 2009 to form the Alliance for Housing and Healing which works to prevent homelessness among persons living with HIV/AIDS.  Our mission is to provide the basic necessities of life to men, women, children, and families living with HIV/AIDS through a safety net of essential housing and direct supportive services because housing is healthcare. 92% of all revenue goes directly to client services.  More than 18,000 individuals have received assistance.

For more information visit www.alliancehh.org.

Paula Wagner to Produce 2013 Governors Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Paula Wagner will produce the 5th Annual Governors Awards for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today.  The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and three Honorary Awards will be presented to Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and Piero Tosi, respectively, on Saturday, November 16, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

“Paula’s expertise, coupled with her love for film, makes her the ideal person to produce this special event,” said Boone Isaacs.  “She is certain to deliver an exciting and memorable evening for our honorees and guests.”

“It is a privilege to work with the Academy to produce this year’s Governors Awards, honoring iconic talents who have deeply influenced our contemporary culture with their artistry,” said Wagner.  “I look forward to being a part of an event that illuminates and supports these artists’ incredible achievements.”

Wagner has produced or executive-produced more than 20 feature films, including the first three “Mission: Impossible” films, “Vanilla Sky,” “The Others” and “The Last Samurai,” as well as the television film “Five” and three Broadway plays (The Heiress, which received two Tony® nominations, Grace and the recently announced Mothers and Sons).

After beginning her career as an actress and then becoming a top-ranking talent agent at CAA, she went on to co-found Cruise/Wagner Productions and serve as CEO for United Artists.  She now continues to independently produce film and theater through her company Chestnut Ridge Productions.  Wagner is an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, and also lectures at universities around the nation.  Wagner is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild of America and The Broadway League.

She also sits on the boards of the PGA, the Film Forum, American Cinematheque and the National Film Preservation Foundation.

SOURCE The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The First Annual Exceptional Ability Awards to be held on Sunday September 15, 2013 at The Joint!

Filmmaker Joey Travolta and Los Angeles rock icons Ozomatli lead the list of honorees!

 

The Award Celebration to be held Sunday September 15, 2013 at The Joint, 8771 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles CA, 90035

 

Tickets $25  with Red carpet arrivals at 5:30pm.

Established by writer/director Michael C. Cooney, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, The Exceptional Ability Award is given in recognition of those who demonstrate a long-standing commitment to championing multicultural ideals, along with creative excellence. Both the award, and Mr. Cooney's production house, Exceptional Ability Entertainment, are committed to advancing diversity.

Additional honorees this year include: Women of The Year: San Antonio Texas rockers, Girl In A Coma, Man of The Year: Cosmica Records founder Gilbert Gastelum, and the ground-breaking Los Angeles blues rock band Cityzen.

The evening will be a celebration with art, music, and fun!

Grab your tickets now while you still can! For more information and to purchase your ticket, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/457730!

The Academy Slings "SHANE" From Coast To Coast

Directors Woody Allen and James Mangold to introduce 60th Anniversary Screenings in New York and Los Angeles

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the classic Western “Shane” with a screening of a new digital restoration from Paramount Pictures on Monday, September 16, at the Academy Theater in New York City, with a special video message by director Woody Allen; and on Monday, October 7, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, with an in-person introduction by director James Mangold.
 
For New York, click here.

For Los Angeles, click here.

THE ACADEMY EXPLORES THE TECHNOLOGY OF STUNTS WITH "REAL TO REEL: THE ART OF ACTION"

Hosted by stunt coordinator Garrett Warren
 

With panelists writer-director Shane Black ("Iron Man 3"), stunt coordinator Jeff Habberstad ("Iron Man 3"), visual effects supervisor Erik Nash ("Iron Man 3," "Real Steel"), animatronic supervisor John Rosengrant ("Real Steel"), editor Zach Staenberg ("The Matrix") and visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend ("Iron Man 3")

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will explore how stunt artists utilize emerging technologies to bring previously impossible stunts to the screen in “Real to Reel: The Art of Action” on Friday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Hosted by stunt coordinator Garrett Warren, the evening will include clips from such films as “Iron Man 3,” “Skyfall” and “Real Steel,” live demonstrations, behind-the-scenes footage, and onstage conversations with some of the films’ creative teams. Scheduled panelists include writer-director Shane Black, stunt coordinator Jeff Habberstad, visual effects supervisors Erik Nash and Christopher Townsend, animatronic supervisor John Rosengrant, and film editor Zach Staenberg.

Click here for more information.

SOURCE The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and Piero Tosi to Receive the Academy's Governors Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present Honorary Awards to Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and Piero Tosi, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Angelina Jolie.  All four awards will be presented at the Academy’s 5th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 16, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

“The Governors Awards pay tribute to individuals who’ve made indelible contributions in their respective fields,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.  “We couldn’t be more excited for this year’s honorees and look forward to bringing their peers and colleagues together to celebrate their extraordinary achievements.”

Lansbury has received three Academy Award® nominations for her supporting performances on film – the first in her 1944 feature debut in “Gaslight,” followed by “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1945) and “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962).  Her numerous other credits include “The Long, Hot Summer,” “Blue Hawaii,” “The World of Henry Orient,” “Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” “Death on the Nile” and “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” as well as voice work for the first animated feature to receive a Best Picture nomination, “Beauty and the Beast.”

Martin, who got his start in television, is a versatile actor, writer, comedian and musician who began to display the breadth of his big-screen talent as the screenwriter and star of the 1977 Oscar®-nominated short film “The Absent-Minded Waiter.”  He wrote and starred in “The Jerk,” “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” “Three Amigos,” “Roxanne,” “L.A. Story,” “The Pink Panther” series and “Shopgirl,” which he adapted from his critically acclaimed book of the same name.  His other acting credits include “All of Me,” “Parenthood,” “Father of the Bride” and “It’s Complicated.”  He also is a three-time host of the Oscars®, most recently in 2010 with Alec Baldwin.

Tosi rose to prominence through his collaborations with Italian director Luchino Visconti on such films as “White Nights” and “Rocco and His Brothers,” and continued to work with him on several other features, including the Costume Design nominees “The Leopard,” “Death in Venice” and “Ludwig.”  Tosi received two more nominations for his designs for “La Cage aux Folles” and “La Traviata.”  His other notable credits include “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” a Foreign Language Film winner, and “Marriage Italian Style,” a Foreign Language Film nominee, both directed by Vittorio De Sica.

Jolie, who won an Oscar for her supporting performance in “Girl, Interrupted,” has been an impassioned advocate for humanitarian causes, traveling widely to promote organizations and social justice efforts such as the Prevent Sexual Violence Initiative.  Staking out a career at the nexus of entertainment and philanthropy, Jolie has worked for a number of global advocacy groups including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for which she was appointed Special Envoy of High Commissioner António Guterres in 2012 after twelve years of service.  Her dedication to these causes has also shaped her work in films that tackle global humanitarian issues including “A Mighty Heart” and her feature film directorial debut “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

¡VIVA FIGUEROA!: THE ACADEMY TO HONOR ICONIC MEXICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER GABRIEL FIGUEROA

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Writer-director Gregory Nava, actor Gael García Bernal, cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and Gabriel Figueroa Flores will celebrate the life and career of the renowned Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa on Tuesday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The evening will feature an onstage discussion and excerpts from many of Figueroa’s greatest cinematic achievements. The program serves as a prelude to the exhibition “Under the Mexican Sky: Gabriel Figueroa – Art and Film,” co-presented by the Academy and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which will open at LACMA later this month.

 

Figueroa (1907–1997) is often referred to as “The Fourth Muralist” of Mexico, and his seminal work contributed to the establishment of a visual culture and national identity in post-revolutionary Mexico. His films include such Mexican classics as “María Candelaria,” “Enamorada,” “La perla” and “Víctimas del pecado,” which stand alongside works for such diverse directors as John Ford (“The Fugitive”), Luis Buñuel (“Los olvidados”), Don Siegel (“Two Mules for Sister Sara”) and John Huston (“The Night of the Iguana”). Figueroa’s dazzling black-and-white cinematography for the latter film earned him an Oscar® nomination in 1964.

 

Tickets for “An Academy Tribute to Gabriel Figueroa” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased online at www.oscars.org or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ticketed seating is unreserved. For more information and guest updates, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

 

The exhibition “Under the Mexican Sky: Gabriel Figueroa – Art and Film” will open on Sunday, September 22, at LACMA’s Art of the Americas building. The exhibition examines Figueroa’s prolific career through film clips, paintings, photographs, prints, drawings, posters and archival documents. It also includes a range of works by contemporary artists and filmmakers that reflect on Figueroa’s legacy. For more information, visit www.lacma.org.