LOS ANGELES, March 2 (TheWrap.com) - Scarlet Johansson is checking into the Bates Motel.
'The Avengers' star will play Janet Leigh in 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho,' a spokesman for the actress confirmed to TheWrap.
In a boon to the hormonal hordes, that means that the star will be re-enacting Leigh's famous shower scene='lw_1329081972_1'British. It also may require lathering up with chocolate syrup, which was used in the original black-and-white film to simulate blood.
Anthony Hopkins has been tapped to play Hitchcock and Helen Mirren will play the director's wife, Alma.
The Fox Searchlight project will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the 1960 horror classic, who plays Thatcher both as a domineering polit. It is based on Stephen Rebello's book of the same name, which traced the film's development, creation and popular reception.
Filming is expected to begin this year with Sacha Gervasi ('Anvil! The Story of Anvil') directing a script from John McLaughlin ('Black Swan').
In addition to playing Black Widow in next summer's 'The Avengers,' Johansson will play an alien in Jonathan Glazer's 'Under the Skin.'
(Editing By Zorianna Kit)
Friday, March 2, 2012
Hindus protest bin Laden film shoot in north India
CHANDIGARH, India (Reuters) - Hindu radicals in India protested on Friday against the shooting of a film by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow on the hunt for Osama bin Laden on the grounds that the film-makers were portraying Pakistan on Indian soil.
Bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States was killed by U.SMy Week with Marilyn,'. special forces in Pakistan in May last year.
The film-makers, denied permission to film in Pakistan, converted parts of the Indian city of Chandigarh to look like the Pakistani city of Lahore.
But for right-wing Hindus, the use of India to portray sworn enemy Pakistan was too much.
'They have made Chandigarh like Pakistan, as if it is Pakistan,' said Vijay Bhardwaj, a leader of the radical Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Hindu group.
'We strongly oppose this and we will not let them put Pakistani flags here and we will not let them shoot for the film.'
Billboards with Urdu signs were put up on shops in a market in the north Indian city and auto-rickshaws were running with Lahore number plates, He will receive a BAFTA Fellow. Burqa-clad women and men dressed in traditional Pakistani clothes roamed the streets.
The small group of protesters shouted slogans and some of them were seen arguing with cast and crew members as police tried to intervene.
The protesters said the government should have denied permission to make the film on Indian soil.
Bigelow, who won an Oscar for her Iraq war movie 'The Hurt Locker,' was developing a film on the hunt for bin Laden before the al Qaeda leader was killed in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.
The film, 'Zero Dark Thirty,' is due for release in late 2012.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan have fought three wars since winning their independence from Britain in 1947tar of silent movies whose career is destro. Suspicion between the nuclear-armed rivals lingers.
(Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States was killed by U.SMy Week with Marilyn,'. special forces in Pakistan in May last year.
The film-makers, denied permission to film in Pakistan, converted parts of the Indian city of Chandigarh to look like the Pakistani city of Lahore.
But for right-wing Hindus, the use of India to portray sworn enemy Pakistan was too much.
'They have made Chandigarh like Pakistan, as if it is Pakistan,' said Vijay Bhardwaj, a leader of the radical Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Hindu group.
'We strongly oppose this and we will not let them put Pakistani flags here and we will not let them shoot for the film.'
Billboards with Urdu signs were put up on shops in a market in the north Indian city and auto-rickshaws were running with Lahore number plates, He will receive a BAFTA Fellow. Burqa-clad women and men dressed in traditional Pakistani clothes roamed the streets.
The small group of protesters shouted slogans and some of them were seen arguing with cast and crew members as police tried to intervene.
The protesters said the government should have denied permission to make the film on Indian soil.
Bigelow, who won an Oscar for her Iraq war movie 'The Hurt Locker,' was developing a film on the hunt for bin Laden before the al Qaeda leader was killed in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.
The film, 'Zero Dark Thirty,' is due for release in late 2012.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan have fought three wars since winning their independence from Britain in 1947tar of silent movies whose career is destro. Suspicion between the nuclear-armed rivals lingers.
(Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Teen got 165,000 signatures protesting "Bully" rating
LOS ANGELES, March 1 (TheWrap.com) - Katy Butler, a 17-year-old Michigan high school student who has rallied 165,000 people against the MPAA's decision to give the documentary 'Bully' an R rating, has some advice for the ratings board: Get some better rules.
'They really need to think their ratings through a little more,' she told TheWrap Wednesday.
On Sunday, Butler launched a campaign on the website change.org to have the MPAA rate the documentary PG-13, rather than Ridely picked to take home best film by most indus. She wants the rating changed so that people younger than 17 can see the film -- and so that it can be screened in schools.
The MPAA gave the documentary an R because of language in the film - After the curtain rises on Sunday&#. 'Bully,' which tells the story of bullying in schools, shows young people directing extremely harsh language at others.
'Because it's rated R, the kids that are being bullied -- and the bullies also -- can't see this movie,' Butler saidy win is seen as adapte. 'Kids hear worse at school show since 2004 when it drew roughly 44 mil. .. (Repo. Kids know the language and they're being called these things and these words are being used in a derogatory way.'
She said that 'not being able to see it in a movie theater is ridiculous.'
Butler hasn't seen the movie -- though the Weinstein Company plans a special screening for her next week -- but has seen its trailer.
On February 23, Harvey Weinstein, whose Weinstein Company is distributing the documentary, unsuccessfully appealed the MPAA's decision to give 'Bully' an R.
It's that language that resulted in the R rating, Joan Graves, chairman of the Classification and Rating Administration, said in a written statement.
'Bullying is a serious issue and is an important subject that parents should discuss with their children,' Joan Graves, who chairs the MPAA's Classification and Ratings Administration, said in a written statementil of awards website . 'The MPAA agrees with the Weinstein Company that 'Bully' can serve as a vehicle for such important discussion.'
The R rating, she said, does not reflect the quality of the filmin has won most every t. Rather, she said, it is meant 'to provide parents with adequate information on the level of content contained in the filmhter, but the best solut. The R rating does not mean that children cannot see the filmia Spencer/span as one. As with any movie, parents will decide if the film is appropriate for their child's viewing.
'School districts, similarly, handle the determination of showing movies on a case-by-case basis and have their own guidelines for parental approval.'
According to the MPAA's rules, since The Weinstein Company's appeal has been denied, the only way to switch the movie's rating is for the director to recut the movie and remove the offending language -- something the director, Lee Hirsch, is unwilling to do.
And something he shouldn't do, Butler said.
'If they took the language out of the movie, it wouldn't be as powerful as it is because with those words comes all the difficult emotion behind it,' she said.
'It wouldn't have the same baggage and it wouldn't deliver the same message.'
Butler said she received a telephone call from Hirsch, thanking her for the petition.
'I identify as a lesbian and in middle school I was bullied and harassed repeatedly and that was an absolutely horrible experience,' she saidn which span class='ysh. 'I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.'
She became an activist last year after a Michigan anti-bullying law included a clause that gave a religious exemption for bullyingrs at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts . After a petition she started on change.com began to gain steam, legislators removed that clause.
The movie 'Bully' is generating debate, and some of it suggests that the R rating is appropriate.
Casting director Angela Muts' id='lw_1330287667. Hutchinson issued a statement saying that the movie deserved the R rating, and the National Association of Theatre Owners told The Weinstein Company that 'the vast majority of parents surveyed have indicated that the type of language used in 'Bully' should receive an automatic 'R' rating.'
In a letter to Weinstein, NATO president and CEO John Fithian wrote, 'You recently released the award-winning movie 'King's Speech' and must know the language rules very well lure viewers, He hasn't been emcee o. You should not have been surprised at the rating for 'Bully.'
(Editing By Zorianna Kit)
'They really need to think their ratings through a little more,' she told TheWrap Wednesday.
On Sunday, Butler launched a campaign on the website change.org to have the MPAA rate the documentary PG-13, rather than Ridely picked to take home best film by most indus. She wants the rating changed so that people younger than 17 can see the film -- and so that it can be screened in schools.
The MPAA gave the documentary an R because of language in the film - After the curtain rises on Sunday&#. 'Bully,' which tells the story of bullying in schools, shows young people directing extremely harsh language at others.
'Because it's rated R, the kids that are being bullied -- and the bullies also -- can't see this movie,' Butler saidy win is seen as adapte. 'Kids hear worse at school show since 2004 when it drew roughly 44 mil. .. (Repo. Kids know the language and they're being called these things and these words are being used in a derogatory way.'
She said that 'not being able to see it in a movie theater is ridiculous.'
Butler hasn't seen the movie -- though the Weinstein Company plans a special screening for her next week -- but has seen its trailer.
On February 23, Harvey Weinstein, whose Weinstein Company is distributing the documentary, unsuccessfully appealed the MPAA's decision to give 'Bully' an R.
It's that language that resulted in the R rating, Joan Graves, chairman of the Classification and Rating Administration, said in a written statement.
'Bullying is a serious issue and is an important subject that parents should discuss with their children,' Joan Graves, who chairs the MPAA's Classification and Ratings Administration, said in a written statementil of awards website . 'The MPAA agrees with the Weinstein Company that 'Bully' can serve as a vehicle for such important discussion.'
The R rating, she said, does not reflect the quality of the filmin has won most every t. Rather, she said, it is meant 'to provide parents with adequate information on the level of content contained in the filmhter, but the best solut. The R rating does not mean that children cannot see the filmia Spencer/span as one. As with any movie, parents will decide if the film is appropriate for their child's viewing.
'School districts, similarly, handle the determination of showing movies on a case-by-case basis and have their own guidelines for parental approval.'
According to the MPAA's rules, since The Weinstein Company's appeal has been denied, the only way to switch the movie's rating is for the director to recut the movie and remove the offending language -- something the director, Lee Hirsch, is unwilling to do.
And something he shouldn't do, Butler said.
'If they took the language out of the movie, it wouldn't be as powerful as it is because with those words comes all the difficult emotion behind it,' she said.
'It wouldn't have the same baggage and it wouldn't deliver the same message.'
Butler said she received a telephone call from Hirsch, thanking her for the petition.
'I identify as a lesbian and in middle school I was bullied and harassed repeatedly and that was an absolutely horrible experience,' she saidn which span class='ysh. 'I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.'
She became an activist last year after a Michigan anti-bullying law included a clause that gave a religious exemption for bullyingrs at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts . After a petition she started on change.com began to gain steam, legislators removed that clause.
The movie 'Bully' is generating debate, and some of it suggests that the R rating is appropriate.
Casting director Angela Muts' id='lw_1330287667. Hutchinson issued a statement saying that the movie deserved the R rating, and the National Association of Theatre Owners told The Weinstein Company that 'the vast majority of parents surveyed have indicated that the type of language used in 'Bully' should receive an automatic 'R' rating.'
In a letter to Weinstein, NATO president and CEO John Fithian wrote, 'You recently released the award-winning movie 'King's Speech' and must know the language rules very well lure viewers, He hasn't been emcee o. You should not have been surprised at the rating for 'Bully.'
(Editing By Zorianna Kit)
Animator praises unsung artists at heart of genre
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - When animator Fraser MacLean thinks about his work on movies such as 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit,' 'Space Jam,' and 'Tarzan,' he's reminded of the Chartres cathedral, southwest of Paris.
The 13th century Gothic church was idealized in 'F for Fake,' the 1973 Orson Welles film, during a monologue by the director.
'The premier work of man perhaps in the whole western world and it's without a signature: Chartres,' Welles said 'In the Land of Blood and . 'A celebration to God's glory and to the dignity of man.'
The anonymous artists of Chartres represent the idea, as MacLean put it: Art isn't about signing your name in the corner of the canvas.
MacLean began his career as an unknown artist, doing shading on the animated characters in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which combined live action and animation.
'That idea that you would surrender your own creative abilities and your own technical mastery to something that would just be a delight to the people that saw it ..inated for any Oscars this year, . in some ways is actually liberating,' he said.
MacLean, who grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, returned a decade ago and was surprised during his guest lectures at art colleges.
Students at some schools weren't required to do observational drawing2_1'Brad Pitt/span to span class='ys. Having a background in fine art drawing landed MacLean his first job with Disney UK.
At the same time, MacLean was hearing about animation companies looking for students with drawing skills and being unable to find them.
He decided to write 'Setting the Scene: The Art and Evolution of Animation Layout' about the importance of the layout department in animated feature films.
'The entire structure and choreography of all the action in the movie stems from the way that the layout artists develop what they find in the original story sketches,' MacLean said.
He presented the book alongside layout artist Roy Naisbitt at the 31st Anima film festival in Brussels last week.
First recognized as a separate department by Disney with 'Cinderella' in 1950, MacLean hit on a subject that made directors such as Brad Bird ('The Incredibles,' 'Ratatouille') and Pete Docter ('Up') unable to hang up the phone.
'A filmmaker often tries to convey a feeling, and attempts to do so in a sneaky way of which the audience isn't even conscious,' Docter wrote in the foreword of MacLean's bookthing of an eye-opening public debu. 'The way a subject is presented can be the difference between making a connection with the audience and having them fall asleep.'
MacLean also had access to Disney's Animation Research Library for the book, which was published in September.
One day, the Disney librarian opened a drawer and took out an original watercolor painting of Geppetto's workshop from 'Pinocchio,' Disney's second feature-length film from 1940.
MacLean said those early Disney films, including 'Snow White' in 1937, left an enormous impression on his mother, who died in 2008 soon after he proposed the book.
'My mother and father and their parents, they all stood in line to go to see Snow White when it came out,' he said328736132_1'Brad Pitt/spa. 'My mother, even though she had dementia, she could tell me what seat she was sitting in at (the) cinema in Aberdeen.'
Holding the painting in his hands, MacLean started crying.
The librarian assured him: That happens to a lot of people.
Seeing the artwork that was photographed in a movie with so much meaning to his parents was overwhelming.
'I still cannot tell you who painted that bit of artwork and I don't care.'
(Reporting By Eric Holmberg)
The 13th century Gothic church was idealized in 'F for Fake,' the 1973 Orson Welles film, during a monologue by the director.
'The premier work of man perhaps in the whole western world and it's without a signature: Chartres,' Welles said 'In the Land of Blood and . 'A celebration to God's glory and to the dignity of man.'
The anonymous artists of Chartres represent the idea, as MacLean put it: Art isn't about signing your name in the corner of the canvas.
MacLean began his career as an unknown artist, doing shading on the animated characters in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which combined live action and animation.
'That idea that you would surrender your own creative abilities and your own technical mastery to something that would just be a delight to the people that saw it ..inated for any Oscars this year, . in some ways is actually liberating,' he said.
MacLean, who grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, returned a decade ago and was surprised during his guest lectures at art colleges.
Students at some schools weren't required to do observational drawing2_1'Brad Pitt/span to span class='ys. Having a background in fine art drawing landed MacLean his first job with Disney UK.
At the same time, MacLean was hearing about animation companies looking for students with drawing skills and being unable to find them.
He decided to write 'Setting the Scene: The Art and Evolution of Animation Layout' about the importance of the layout department in animated feature films.
'The entire structure and choreography of all the action in the movie stems from the way that the layout artists develop what they find in the original story sketches,' MacLean said.
He presented the book alongside layout artist Roy Naisbitt at the 31st Anima film festival in Brussels last week.
First recognized as a separate department by Disney with 'Cinderella' in 1950, MacLean hit on a subject that made directors such as Brad Bird ('The Incredibles,' 'Ratatouille') and Pete Docter ('Up') unable to hang up the phone.
'A filmmaker often tries to convey a feeling, and attempts to do so in a sneaky way of which the audience isn't even conscious,' Docter wrote in the foreword of MacLean's bookthing of an eye-opening public debu. 'The way a subject is presented can be the difference between making a connection with the audience and having them fall asleep.'
MacLean also had access to Disney's Animation Research Library for the book, which was published in September.
One day, the Disney librarian opened a drawer and took out an original watercolor painting of Geppetto's workshop from 'Pinocchio,' Disney's second feature-length film from 1940.
MacLean said those early Disney films, including 'Snow White' in 1937, left an enormous impression on his mother, who died in 2008 soon after he proposed the book.
'My mother and father and their parents, they all stood in line to go to see Snow White when it came out,' he said328736132_1'Brad Pitt/spa. 'My mother, even though she had dementia, she could tell me what seat she was sitting in at (the) cinema in Aberdeen.'
Holding the painting in his hands, MacLean started crying.
The librarian assured him: That happens to a lot of people.
Seeing the artwork that was photographed in a movie with so much meaning to his parents was overwhelming.
'I still cannot tell you who painted that bit of artwork and I don't care.'
(Reporting By Eric Holmberg)
Ridley Scott, Japan TV team up on quake documentary
TOKYO (Reuters) - Filmmaker Ridley Scott and Fuji Television are teaming up to make 'Japan in a Day,' a documentary about how people spend the first anniversary of last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The project is dedicated to those who lost their lives or are still suffering from the March 11 disaster, which killed nearly 20,000 people and set off the Fukushima nuclear crisis, organizers said in a release.
The 'Gladiator' director's production company Scott Free, which he runs with his brother Tony, and Fuji will seek video footage contributed by anyone in Japan as well as globally, showing their lives on March 11, 2012, to be uploaded to the website: http://www.youtube.com/JapanInADay/
Fuji will also donate 200 cameras to people in the disaster-struck areas for the project.
The best entries, judged by the filmmakers, will be selected to complete a movie that will be released in theaters internationally, and Fuji will donate profits to victims in those areas.
Scott, who also directed 'Alien' and 'Thelma & Louise,' has been nominated for three Academy Awards in directing.
(Reporting by Chris Gallgher, editing by Elaine Lies and Christine Kearney)
The project is dedicated to those who lost their lives or are still suffering from the March 11 disaster, which killed nearly 20,000 people and set off the Fukushima nuclear crisis, organizers said in a release.
The 'Gladiator' director's production company Scott Free, which he runs with his brother Tony, and Fuji will seek video footage contributed by anyone in Japan as well as globally, showing their lives on March 11, 2012, to be uploaded to the website: http://www.youtube.com/JapanInADay/
Fuji will also donate 200 cameras to people in the disaster-struck areas for the project.
The best entries, judged by the filmmakers, will be selected to complete a movie that will be released in theaters internationally, and Fuji will donate profits to victims in those areas.
Scott, who also directed 'Alien' and 'Thelma & Louise,' has been nominated for three Academy Awards in directing.
(Reporting by Chris Gallgher, editing by Elaine Lies and Christine Kearney)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Romantic comedy to open Tribeca film festival
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A new romantic comedy by the team behind 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' will open the Tribeca Film Festival that begins in April, festival organizers said on Wednesday.
'The Five-Year Engagement' is directed by Nicholas Stoller and stars Jason Segel and Emily Blunt as an engaged couple who keep getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle.
Stoller and Segel wrote the screenplay for 'The Five-Year Engagement,' teaming up again after Stoller directed and Segel starred-in and wrote the screenplay for relationship comedy 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' which became a box office hit in 2008 grossing $105 million worldwide.
'The Five-Year Engagement' will premiere on April 18 at the opening night of Tribeca, one of the largest film festivals in the United States that runs until April 29s top honors among movies made out. Produced by Judd Apatow, it will be released in U.S accepted her Spirit Awar. cinemas on April 27.
The festival, which previously opened with the comedy 'Baby Mama' in 2008, will announce its complete line up of films on March 6 and 8.
(Reporting By Christine Kearney; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
'The Five-Year Engagement' is directed by Nicholas Stoller and stars Jason Segel and Emily Blunt as an engaged couple who keep getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle.
Stoller and Segel wrote the screenplay for 'The Five-Year Engagement,' teaming up again after Stoller directed and Segel starred-in and wrote the screenplay for relationship comedy 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' which became a box office hit in 2008 grossing $105 million worldwide.
'The Five-Year Engagement' will premiere on April 18 at the opening night of Tribeca, one of the largest film festivals in the United States that runs until April 29s top honors among movies made out. Produced by Judd Apatow, it will be released in U.S accepted her Spirit Awar. cinemas on April 27.
The festival, which previously opened with the comedy 'Baby Mama' in 2008, will announce its complete line up of films on March 6 and 8.
(Reporting By Christine Kearney; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
"The Artist" paints golden picture at Oscars
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood showed some love for its history at the Oscars on Sunday, giving its best film award and four others to silent movie 'The Artist' in a ceremony that recalled why cinema is special to so many people.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also gave Oscars to Meryl Streep playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady,' marking Streep's third Academy Award in 17 nominations, and veteran Christopher Plummer made history by becoming the oldest winner ever at age 82 with his role as an elderly gay man in 'Beginners.'
But it was the 'The Artist,' a French movie that has been called a love letter to old Hollywood by its makers, that charmed Oscar votersSANTA MONICA, Califo. Made in the style of old silents, it tells a romantic story of a fading star in the era when silent movies were overtaken by talkies.
'The Artist' collected Oscars for its star Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius, as well as for musical score and costume design.
'I am the happiest director in the world right nowhe feeling that in the room, . Thank you for that,' Hazanavicius told the audience of stars including George Clooney, Michelle Williams, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and members of the Academy.
Dujardin was equally excited, exclaiming 'I love this country' before thanking the Academy, the film's makers and his wife, and calling silent actor Douglas Fairbanks an inspiration.
Streep's victory surprised Oscar pundits who thought Viola Davis would win the Academy Award with her portrayal of a black maid in a southern white home in civil rights drama 'The Help.'
But Streep's turn as an elderly Thatcher who is slipping into dementia was too good to be ignoredn 'Beginners' as an . It was Streep's third Academy Award out of 17 nominations, and even she reckoned that Oscar voters would think she's been there, done that winner was Christopher Plum. Backstage she termed it 'Streep fatigue' to reporters.
'When they called my name, I could feel America saying, 'Oh why her again?' But whatever,' she jokedemy of Motion Picture Arts . Yet even the steely veteran could not hold back the emotion of an Oscar victory It's not expensive,' The nea. When she thanked her husband and talked about her career she came close to breaking into tears, and backstage she said it made her feel like a kid again.
MAKING HOLLYWOOD HISTORY
Veteran Plummer, a star of classic film 'The Sound of Music,' won his first ever Oscar for his portrayal of an elderly gay man who comes out to his family in 'Beginners.'
'You're only two years older than me, darling when she accepted her Spirit Award onstage, . Where have you been all of my life,' he said, looking at his golden Oscar, which was celebrating its 84th awards ceremony.
Spencer, a relative newcomer in contrast to Plummer, had to hold back tears as she accepted her trophy for her portrayal of a black, southern maid in civil rights drama 'The Help.'
'Thank you Academy for putting me with the hottest guy in the room,' she said holding her Oscar in her handas okay, possibly even preferred,' Williams. She then went on to talk about her family in Alabama and could not hold back her tears as she joyously accepted her trophy.
Director Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo,' which like 'The Artist' pays tribute to early filmmaking, came into the night with a leading 11 nominations - one more than 'Artist' - and also picked up five winse her own hair - no glitz and. But its Oscars came in technical categories cinematography, art direction, sound editing and mixing and visual effects.
Another highly touted movie, family drama 'The Descendants,' walked off with only one Oscar, adapted screenplay for its writer and director Alexander Payne and co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rashdo with booze, so pity . Woody Allen won for original screenplay with 'Midnight in Paris,' but he was not on hand to accept his trophy.
In other major wins, the foreign language film award went to Iranian divorce drama 'A Separation.' 'I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, the people who respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment,' said its director, Ashgar Farhadi.
Asked backstage how he thought the Iranian government might respond, he said he really did not knowI want to say thank yo. 'I can't predict what's going to happen,' he said.
'Rango' claimed best animated film, while 'The Iron Lady,' won a second award for makeup.
BILLY'S RETURN
The documentary category saw another major surprise for 'Undefeated,' a film about football players in a poor struggling community to make their lives better for director J,C, Chandor, Will Reiser c. 'Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory' had been widely picked to win by pundits.
One of the film's makers, T.Jen at the show that takes place. Martin, used an expletive onstage in a sign of his joy, but it was edited out for television audiences and director in a prelude to the Osc. He apologized backstage in the press room.
Comedian Billy Crystal, who returned to emcee the show for the ninth time, had the crowd laughing loudly with an opening video in which he was edited into the year's top movies.
He was kissed by George Clooney on the lips in a scene out of 'The Descendants' and even ate a tainted pie from 'The Help.' He opened with a monologue in which he joked: 'there's nothing like watching a bunch of millionaires present each other with golden statues' and sang a comic song about the movies.
Other highlights included stars like Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler and others in brief video vignettes telling audiences why they loved moviesdered among the top . The clips highlighted this year's themes of reminding people what makes movies magical.
Finally, Hollywood's biggest fashion parade on the Oscar red carpet heated up with Michelle Williams in a stunning red dress from Louis Vuitton, 'The Help' star Jessica Chastain in a dazzling Alexander McQueen black and gold embroidered gown, while Gwyneth Paltrow chose Tom Ford and white, a popular color.
(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Sandra Maler)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also gave Oscars to Meryl Streep playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady,' marking Streep's third Academy Award in 17 nominations, and veteran Christopher Plummer made history by becoming the oldest winner ever at age 82 with his role as an elderly gay man in 'Beginners.'
But it was the 'The Artist,' a French movie that has been called a love letter to old Hollywood by its makers, that charmed Oscar votersSANTA MONICA, Califo. Made in the style of old silents, it tells a romantic story of a fading star in the era when silent movies were overtaken by talkies.
'The Artist' collected Oscars for its star Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius, as well as for musical score and costume design.
'I am the happiest director in the world right nowhe feeling that in the room, . Thank you for that,' Hazanavicius told the audience of stars including George Clooney, Michelle Williams, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and members of the Academy.
Dujardin was equally excited, exclaiming 'I love this country' before thanking the Academy, the film's makers and his wife, and calling silent actor Douglas Fairbanks an inspiration.
Streep's victory surprised Oscar pundits who thought Viola Davis would win the Academy Award with her portrayal of a black maid in a southern white home in civil rights drama 'The Help.'
But Streep's turn as an elderly Thatcher who is slipping into dementia was too good to be ignoredn 'Beginners' as an . It was Streep's third Academy Award out of 17 nominations, and even she reckoned that Oscar voters would think she's been there, done that winner was Christopher Plum. Backstage she termed it 'Streep fatigue' to reporters.
'When they called my name, I could feel America saying, 'Oh why her again?' But whatever,' she jokedemy of Motion Picture Arts . Yet even the steely veteran could not hold back the emotion of an Oscar victory It's not expensive,' The nea. When she thanked her husband and talked about her career she came close to breaking into tears, and backstage she said it made her feel like a kid again.
MAKING HOLLYWOOD HISTORY
Veteran Plummer, a star of classic film 'The Sound of Music,' won his first ever Oscar for his portrayal of an elderly gay man who comes out to his family in 'Beginners.'
'You're only two years older than me, darling when she accepted her Spirit Award onstage, . Where have you been all of my life,' he said, looking at his golden Oscar, which was celebrating its 84th awards ceremony.
Spencer, a relative newcomer in contrast to Plummer, had to hold back tears as she accepted her trophy for her portrayal of a black, southern maid in civil rights drama 'The Help.'
'Thank you Academy for putting me with the hottest guy in the room,' she said holding her Oscar in her handas okay, possibly even preferred,' Williams. She then went on to talk about her family in Alabama and could not hold back her tears as she joyously accepted her trophy.
Director Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo,' which like 'The Artist' pays tribute to early filmmaking, came into the night with a leading 11 nominations - one more than 'Artist' - and also picked up five winse her own hair - no glitz and. But its Oscars came in technical categories cinematography, art direction, sound editing and mixing and visual effects.
Another highly touted movie, family drama 'The Descendants,' walked off with only one Oscar, adapted screenplay for its writer and director Alexander Payne and co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rashdo with booze, so pity . Woody Allen won for original screenplay with 'Midnight in Paris,' but he was not on hand to accept his trophy.
In other major wins, the foreign language film award went to Iranian divorce drama 'A Separation.' 'I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, the people who respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment,' said its director, Ashgar Farhadi.
Asked backstage how he thought the Iranian government might respond, he said he really did not knowI want to say thank yo. 'I can't predict what's going to happen,' he said.
'Rango' claimed best animated film, while 'The Iron Lady,' won a second award for makeup.
BILLY'S RETURN
The documentary category saw another major surprise for 'Undefeated,' a film about football players in a poor struggling community to make their lives better for director J,C, Chandor, Will Reiser c. 'Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory' had been widely picked to win by pundits.
One of the film's makers, T.Jen at the show that takes place. Martin, used an expletive onstage in a sign of his joy, but it was edited out for television audiences and director in a prelude to the Osc. He apologized backstage in the press room.
Comedian Billy Crystal, who returned to emcee the show for the ninth time, had the crowd laughing loudly with an opening video in which he was edited into the year's top movies.
He was kissed by George Clooney on the lips in a scene out of 'The Descendants' and even ate a tainted pie from 'The Help.' He opened with a monologue in which he joked: 'there's nothing like watching a bunch of millionaires present each other with golden statues' and sang a comic song about the movies.
Other highlights included stars like Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler and others in brief video vignettes telling audiences why they loved moviesdered among the top . The clips highlighted this year's themes of reminding people what makes movies magical.
Finally, Hollywood's biggest fashion parade on the Oscar red carpet heated up with Michelle Williams in a stunning red dress from Louis Vuitton, 'The Help' star Jessica Chastain in a dazzling Alexander McQueen black and gold embroidered gown, while Gwyneth Paltrow chose Tom Ford and white, a popular color.
(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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