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Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to Host Academy Awards

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, ABC, Saturday Night Live, Video


It was just announced that two vets of Saturday Night Live‘s stage will combine their live audience experience to front next year’s .

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin’s dual selection comes just one year after Hugh Jackman received praise for his Oscars gig. It also comes one week after Ricky Gervais was appointed to the 2010 Golden Globes post.

“Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event,” Adam Shankman, this year’s producer, said.

Click to continue reading Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to Host Academy Awards

Read More | Futon Critic

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Sunday Ratings: Oscars Rebound from Record-Low

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, ABC, Ratings

Yesterday’s tradition-breaking awards ceremony paid off nicely for ABC. Hugh Jackman instead of a comedian as host? Previous award winners presenting the acting categories? Both were gambles that contributed to the telecast’s ratings rebound.

Hugh Jackman at the 81st Annual Academy Awards

  • The 81st Annual Academy Awards drew in 36.3 million viewers. That’s up from last year’s record low (32 million) when No Country for Old Men won Best Film.
  • The broadcast became the third smallest Oscars ceremony ever. (The 2003 telecast - Chicago‘s year - comes in behind at 33 million.)
  • Despite it’s ranking in Academy history, the event was the most-watched entertainment program since the 2007 Oscars. That includes episodes of American Idol.
  • The broadcast also had the best demos (12.1 in 18-49) for any entertainment-related program since Idol in February 2008.

 

Read More | Variety

Oscars Fashion: Here’s Lookin’ At You, Movie Stars

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Award Shows, Prime Time, Reality, Specials, ABC, Gossip

Oscar Statuette

Sure, they look great when they’ve got costume directors, wardrobe designers and practically bottomless budgets on the set. But when movies are left to their own devices, some of them seem unable to complete the simple task of dressing themselves well. The winners have been announced in every category but one: best dressed.

Who worked the red carpet? Who chose to wear something that didn’t work at all? View the best (and worst) in 2009 Academy Awards fashion after the jump.

Click to continue reading Oscars Fashion: Here’s Lookin’ At You, Movie Stars

Read More | Examiner

The 2009 Academy Awards

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, ABC

The Oscars

For coverage of the 2009 Academy Awards, please check out our live commentary on Film Crunch.

Read More | Oscar

This Week on TV (2/16-2/22)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, Reality, Sci-Fi/Horror, ABC, Bravo, Cable, CBS, FX, MTV, NBC, Amazing Race, The, ER, Lost, Survivor

The Real Housewives of NYC

(You can view TV Envy’s Midseason Programming Schedule here.)

MONDAY 2/16)

  • Chuck (NBC, 8pm):  “Chuck and Sarah go undercover as a happily married couple in surburbia.” A happy couple in surburbia? Isn’t the whole point to be inconspicuous?
  • Jon & Kate Plus 8 (TLC, 9pm):  “The Gosselins settle into their new home after the big move, but there’s still lots of work to be done.” And Kate will make sure Jon knows it.
  • Kyle XY (ABC Family, 9pm):  “Kyle reluctantly starts working at Latnok to repay his debt, and it’s not at all what he expects. Yet he still wants to quit, until he considers the Tragers’ current financial situation.” Back up a second—someone’s hiring?
  • True Beauty (ABC, 10pm):  “Contestants walk the red carpet with their parents, but there are also several secret tests of manners going on.” In other words, pushing mom out of your spotlight would be inadvisable.

Click to continue reading This Week on TV (2/16-2/22)


2009 Academy Award Nominations

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, ABC, News

Oscar statues

For a list of nominees from the 2009 Academy Awards, please check out our coverage on Film Crunch.

 

Read More | Oscar

Hugh Jackman to Host 2009 Oscars

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, ABC, News

Hugh JackmanLooks like will have more than just a stolen statue to gripe about.

Although his hilarious performance at the September Emmys had many talking Oscar (you can see the clip here), The Office star will not be hosting the upcoming Academy Awards. Instead of going with one of the funniest men alive, the producers chose to pick the Sexiest Man Alive.

On February 22nd, will be the one Laurence Mark and Bill Condon count on to bring viewers back to the annual event. (Last year’s broadcast - which came after the writers’ strike - was the lowest-rated in history.) Even though the Australia star follows a long line of comedians, the 40-year-old is no stranger to hosting duties. Hugh fronted three Tonys telecasts between 2003-05 and won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program in 2005.

The 81st Annual Academy Awards airs Sunday, February 22 on ABC.

Read More | Futon Critic

Oscars up for Makeover?

Posted by Shannon Bennett Categories: Award Shows, Editorial, Gossip, Ratings

DescriptionThe television audience this year hit an all-time low, and the Academy speculates that this is because the ceremony itself is beginning to feel outdated.  A makeover didn’t work for the Miss America Pageant, and there was a lot more to update on that wallflower.

Variety has served up the cringe-worthy suggestion of taking a cue from the Reality Phemonenon, but that (mercifully) doesn’t seem like a likelihood.  While it could be entertaining to see Streep and Dench race across a snow dune, tied to one another, carrying boiled produce in their mouths to win four points toward Best Actress, chances are it’s not going to catch on, even if statistics show that dignity is one of the damning things that makes poor Oscar seem so elderly.  And the truth may be that the program can’t catch up to the “YouTube generation,” because it’s a victim of it.

Click to continue reading Oscars up for Makeover?

Read More | Variety

Sunday Ratings: ABC Wins, Oscars Tank

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, Prime Time, Specials, ABC, Ratings

The are like the - it’s really pointless to mention other events when those telecasts are on.  But one major thing separates this year’s Academy Awards from the recent championship game: viewers.

Jon Stewart, OscarsLet’s break down the numbers:

  • Super Bowl XLII hit a record high this year; the 80th Annual Academy Awards hit a record low.
  • Having said that, Sunday’s broadcast drew the largest audience of the evening.
  • This year’s celebration of movies drew approximately 32 million viewers.  That’s a 20% drop from 2007 when won for Best Picture.
  • This ceremony received the lowest numbers for any Oscars telecast measured by Nielsen.  That’s going back to 1974.
  • Up until yesterday, the lowest-rated broadcast was in 2003 (when Chicago won).  At that time, our country had just recently gone into war with Iraq.

Read More | Hollywood Reporter

Gary Busey Freaks Out Jennifer Garner, Laura Linney

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, Cable, Gossip, Video

During E!‘s red carpet coverage of the Academy Awards, actor hit the trifecta when he managed to weird out Ryan Seacrest, Laura Linney and .

You know a situation is extremely uncomfortable when two professional actresses can’t act like it was all spontaneous fun.  After being mauled by Busey, the Juno star then irritatingly referred to him as ‘this man’ before (understandably) running away.  Seacrest was then left to get rid of the actor as gracefully as possible.


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