Hofstra U takes 2011 mtvU Oscars Correspondent win

In a media-packed presentation that start-to-finish lasted less than 20 minutes, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s this morning announced that Luz Pena and Philip Robibero from Hofstra University are the 2011 Oscars Correspondent Contest Grand Prize winners and as such have locked backstage accommodations, a spot on the tomorrow’s red carpet for the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony and tickets to the coveted Governors Ball.

Academy president Tom Sherak said, “Luz and Philip made a strong impression with the Academy selection panel and the online voters. I know they will represent the college community well. They are in for an unforgettable experience – the red carpet at the Oscars is like no place else on earth.”

Coverage from Luz and Philip will be up on mtvU.com and MTVNews.com next week.

The three competing finalists were flown to Los Angeles and have covered a flurry of events including Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Photo Op, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium, and the Governors Ball preview.

Today’s winners were selected from a second mtvU online poll and further evaluated by a rock solid team of entertainment journalists -- Brooke Anderson, co-host of HLN’s “Showbiz Tonight”; Sandy Cohen from the Associated Press; and Adam Weissler from “Extra.”

Runners-up Blake Mitchell and David Torcivia from the University of Georgia and Sarah Erickson and Joel Kutz from the University of Southern California will also have red carpet access –- but from the bleachers at the El Capitan Theatre.

Academy Awards Red Carpet On A Rainy Day (2011 Oscars)

http://www.zennie62.com - Academy Awards Red Carpet On A Rainy Day (2011 Oscars).

This is a glance at the new Red Carpet for the 2011 83rd Academy Awards - in the rain. Yep. It's raining again, just as it rained last year, but the forecast is for these conditions to rule the weekend. But that's not stopping the show by any means. In fact, The Red Carpet has a new design. It's more black this year and the font lettering for the signage is larger than before.

The basic Oscars Red Carpet colors are black and gold - Steelers colors. Plus, the layout seems smoother and cleaner than before.

Now if only the rain would let up...

Academy Awards: The Red Carpet - Covered By Rain Again

rain-redcarpet, originally uploaded by zennie62.

As I write this, I'm at The Grill Restaurant at Highland and Hollywood, waiting for my blogging colleagues Marla Schulman, Milena Merrill, and Jen Friel and listening to two people obviously well-connected with the Oscar production talk about how there are a lot of new people working on it, and it's "not as much fun" as before. Sad.

I don't know what's going on that produced such an environment, but I could not help but think of how it must be hell to dream of working at The Academy Awards, only to get bogged down by the sameness of it once you keep doing it for several years.

And then I thought about the rain.

If you read this space a lot, you may (or may not) remember my falling and hitting my head outside the Red Carpet last year. If not, here's the video:



This year, believe it or not, it's much wetter outside - sheets of rain were coming down, although it looks like it's stopped now. But from what the folks are telling me, there's supposed to be storms through Sunday.

I hope not. I hate the rain, but I gotta deal with it.

And tomorrow will be that day, and bring the MTV-U Press Conference to announce the winner of the 2011 Oscar Competition. What's fun is not just to see how the students react to all this "Oscar stuff" but to determine what they're going to do on Oscar Sunday, when their talents are put to the test.

Beyond that, there are a lot of parties going on around town, mostly at private residents and a number very hush-hush. That's another way of saying if I get into one, you may not know it.

Oscars Less Dramatic

This time the Oscars are a lot less dramatic than 2010. The 10 Best Pictures are into their second year. There's no rogue producer using email to diss his Academy competitors for Best Picture. And it really seem the possibility for an upset is almost non-existent.

Still, as a friend said, anything could happen.

Like. Maybe. The rain going away?

Back note: be sure to check out the additional blog work on The Oscars with a click here to visit Zennie62.com


Stay tuned.

2011 Academy Awards: Meet Ama Jo Budge and Suniil Sadarangani



Ama Jo Budge covering the 13th Costume Designers Guild awards

Ama is a creative fiction and non-fiction writer from the UK currently based in Los Angeles. She has studied the arts for her entire life, specializing in alternative performance art and the study film.  Finding London decidedly too cold, Ama has come to bask in the sun and glory of our city of Angels and will be assisting Milena with her reports on the 2011 Academy Awards this year. She will be on-site twittering you instant updates from the 2011 Costume Designers Guild Awards tonight.

Suniil Sadarangani is covering Best of Laugh-in at the Paley Center tonight

Suniil Sadarangani started his career in production with Sunil Lull,  former CEO at MTV Networks, India. Since then he has become one of India's respected producers for his work in coordinating production between South Asia and the West having over 7 years experience as a Line Producer/Producer.  He joins Milena in covering tonight's presentation of The Best of Laugh-In at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills.  Suniil is an actor, producer and filmmaker.

Both Ama and Suniil will be based at the Roosevelt Hotel throughout the week, blogging, vlogging, snapping photos and lending eyes and ears to this blog's coverage.

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Watch Part 2: 13th Costume Designers Guild Awards

Too bad none of these dresses are a double digit -- like a 10 -- otherwise I'd really be foaming at the mouth.  For me, it is LBD on Sunday.  Join Angelina Jolie and a ballroom full of stars for the 13th Costume Designers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel  on February 22, 2011.


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ABC gets to hang on to Oscarcast until 2020

The stunning Dame Helen Mirren

Oh happy day for ABC. 

For a ballpark payout of $50 million per year, the network will hang onto its annual Oscarcast, Daily Variety reports, through 2020, with the latest licensing agreement to have expired in 2014.




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Watch 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards

For a peek into Hollywood's hottest closests, check out the amazing couiture on the backs of the likes of Diane Lane, Claire Danes, Ginnefer Goodwin, Kathy Griffin, Kellan Lutz, Issiah Mustafa and Kristin Davis at the 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards video transcript held February 22, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, covered by one of this blog's writers, London-based Ama Jo Buldge.

Video is courtesy of the Lippen Group.

A quick rundown of 2011 Costume Designers Guild Award winners looks like this:

^{EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM Black Swan – Amy Westcott
EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM The King’s Speech – Jenny Beavan
EXCELLENCE IN FANTASY FILM Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY TELEVSION SERIES Glee – Lou Eyrich
OUTSTANDING PERIOD/FANTASY TELEVSION SERIES Boardwalk Empire – John Dunn & Lisa Padovani
OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINI SERIES Temple Grandin – Cindy Evans
EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL COSTUME DESIGN Chanel – Bleu de Chanel – Aude Bronson‐Howard}

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Hollywood Boulevard: Ama Jo Budge on-the-street pre-Oscars 2011

I took to the streets this afternoon to inhale the pre-2011 Academy Awards Hollywood buzz. The road in front of Hollywood Boulevard is already blocked off with scaffolding, patrolled by security guards, and watched over by the towering canvas Oscars Award itself. The cramped corridors between the blockade and the shop walls becomes crammed with tourists, film-buffs, and locals alike, the usual touristy excitement heightened as people tramp up and down the (plastic covered) red carpet. 

I meet and talk to not only locals and Easterners but also some girls from Switzerland, a couple from Sweden and Norway, and a Dutch woman (the Scandinavians out in numbers)! I ask them whether they will be here on Sunday night or at home watching the Oscars, most say yes (apart from the occasional oblivious local). The general opinion is that best film will be a toss up between Black Swan and The Kings Speech (which took the British Academy Film Award for best film in the UK earlier this month) with which I agree, although there were a few batters on The Fighter’s team too.

A knowledgeable local showing around his New York friend gets into great detail, saying that The Kings Speech will undoubtedly take Best Film, although True Grit will be ‘the dark horse’. He predicts Colin Firth for best actor, Christian Bale for best supporting actor, and to my surprise names a pregnant Natalie Portman as the stunner he will be looking out for – “her talent makes her even more attractive” I am blown away, I must admit (they don’t think like that where I come from – and we’re supposed to be the gentlemen!) 

(Hollywood Blvd last week, and now...)

Some of the younger generation remind me (somewhat to my embarrassment) that Justin Timberlake does of course appear in The Social Network and will therefore be the hottie they are looking out for, with James Franco (127 Hours) brining up a slightly more mature fan base.

Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie still take the cake for hottest celebs however, what a shame The Tourist was such a let down, I guess there is such a thing as too much gorgeousness on one set...

I meet some photographers from Portland, Oregon who will be working the red carpet on Sunday. They are all together unimpressed with the celebrity-hunger that surrounds them, refusing to pronounce any star-struckness other than a ones grudging confession that Sigourney Weaver said ‘hi’ to him last year “which was pretty cool”.

(Yes these were totally for my 8 yr old brother - if you can't beat em join em!)

I am undaunted, and soon meet a group of three (what I would call ‘lads’) from San Francisco who amusingly bicker over whether Scarlet Johansson, Angelina Jolie, or Natalie Portman deserve their most attractive vote. The discussion comes to the satisfying conclusion when one loudly concludes that regardless he would "definitely go gay for George Clooney…" To which I could think of no reply other than maybe (who wouldn't?)

Back to the professional stuff, they tipped Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) for best supporting actress and gave the first (and only) vote for The Kids Are Alright stating that Hollywood was sure to give the ‘lesbian nod’. I did not get into the discussion that I have had with many others about whether or not this film actually discusses or appropriately deals with Annette Benning and Julianne Moore’s characters sexuality at all, let alone the fact that Hollywood is not known for giving 'nods' of any kind to my knowledge.

There seems to be an overall feeling that Natalie Portman (Black Swan) deserves Best Actress despite previous loyalties for the consistent talent of (Rabbit Hole) Nicole Kidman (I will certainly always hold Annette Benning in a special place of high reverence in my heart) but Portman's got my money too…

****

I get stopped by a young woman reporting for a Boston TV show and do not hesitate to stop and have a bit of a chat about the Oscars on camera, and give a shout out for the blog of course.

My favourite comment of the afternoon/evening may be a Swedish young woman claiming, when asked who she would be most excited to see in Hollywood this week – “I want to see John Travolta!”

The tension is certainly building in Hollywood, stay-tuned folks, I have a feeling we could all be surprised, come Sunday night…

Ama J. Budge

Special Correspondent

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2011 Academy Awards: Searchable Datebase

For all of you Academy Award trivia freaks, here's a handy searchable database provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  Want to know who won Lead Actor the year you were born, check it out.

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2011 Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure: Oscar 2011 Sunday @ 9AM

Expect surprise celebrities at the 2011 Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure Oscar Sunday morning -- a cause I have participated in over the past 10 years since my cousin, a classical musician, Stanford University educator -- Dr. Adrienne Maravich Meckel was diagnosed with cancer over a decade ago and survived to see her children graduate from college -- and was a year short of seeing her first grandchild born. 

Adrienne survived nearly a decade beyond her prognosis thanks to advanced cancer treament and awareness and to the Susan G. Koman organization and many otherslike it, I am thankful for their continuing work in combatting this inciduous disease.

I urge each and every one of you to donate generously to the cause and to come out Sunday, February 27, 2011 to Dodger Stadium, located at 1000 Elysian Park Avenue in Los Angeles to cheer on celebrities Brenda Song, Aimee Garcia, Nia Long and others in support of this great cause.

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2011 Academy Awards tidbits: Depp & Bale 2011 hotties, big no to media recording devices after Feb. 23

Rolling out the Red Carpet for the 2011 Oscars

Our woman on-the-street, Ama Jo Budge, at Hollywood & Highland claims that her personal survey reconfirms Johnny Depp as the hottest actor alive with Christian Bale following in second place of women aged 15 to 60 surveyed during this 2011 Oscar week.

Media warning -- wireless devices are verbotten after February 23, 2011.

Huh?

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Academy Awards 2011: 3D mega performance may impact Oscar pics

Rumblings that 3D -- the new box office panacea -- may have judges inclined to vote for a genre that will keep money flowing in Hollywood could have an impact on the 2011 Academy Awards results.

Today, the Motion Picture Association of America reported that global box office reached $31.8 billion, a global box office record with an 8% increase in 2010 over last year, Daily Variety reports, with a drop 5% drop in actual domestic attendance.

So how does this affect the 2011 Oscars?

Dunno yet, but, I've got a cool $100 on Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland taking home some bacon.

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