While we here in the United States gawked at Michelle Obama’s well-sculpted biceps while she presented the award for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, news agencies in Iran were busy Photoshopping her.

Fars, a news agency in Iran, Photoshopped pictures of the First Lady by adding sleeves and a higher neckline to her dress, in order to confirm with Iranian restrictions on images of females in the media.

Michelle Obama presented the Oscar to “Argo” a film about American hostages in Iran.

In Iran, rules dictate that Iranian women shown on state television should wear a hijab that covers their hair, arms and legs. The rules vary for foreign women, allowing them to not wear a hijab, but still comply with conservative dress code.

This is not the first time a dignitary or celebrity has been censored. Many films are edited frame by frame in order to cover up actors or even delete certain scenes.

Iranians were also unhappy with “Argo” winning best picture. Many believe the movie exaggerated Iranian stereotypes and portrayed the country in a negative way, often times not showing a difference between ordinary citizens and revolutionaries in the hostage crisis.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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The day after the Academy Awards is reserved for deep analysis of the previous night. The first thing most viewers analyze is the host.

This year, Seth MacFarlane, creator of “Family Guy,” took on the responsibility of entertaining the audience. It seems like MacFarlane fell flat.

The night consisted of a series of sexist, rude and racist jokes. Misogyny aside, what was up with the “We Saw Your Boobs” number?

MacFarlane’s jokes crossed the line a number of times include when he brought up the prospect of George Clooney getting with 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, a domestic violence “joke” about Chris Brown and Rihanna, and claiming the actresses conveniently got the flu a few weeks ago to fit into their dresses.

We don’t doubt that hosting the Oscars is difficult. If you can’t always be funny, at least be tasteful. If that also fails, give Tina Fey and Amy Poehler a call. They know how to get the job done.

Here’s a look back at the hit and misses of the past few years.

2012: Billy Crystal

In 2012, Billy Crystal returned to host the Academy Awards for the ninth time, though it was his first in eight years.

Crystal’s gig was well received as he returned to formula that’s worked for him before: a witty opening monologue, a song-and-dance number, and an array of jokes that were hitting, but never too harsh.

What also helped Crystal succeed was the help he received from pals such as George Clooney, Tom Cruise and Justin Bieber, who promised him the 18-24 demographic.

2011: Anne Hathaway and James Franco

Disaster, disaster, disaster. Did we mention this was a complete disaster?

The Orlando Sentinel called the show a “disaster,” USA Today said the “pleasure diminished as the night progressed,” and others called it “boring,” “produced horribly,” and “spectacularly bad.”

“Franco seemed distant, uninterested and content to keep his Cheshire-cat-meets-smug smile on display throughout,” THR reported. Some also wondered whether Franco was stoned throughout the whole thing.

Hathaway tried to overcompensate for Franco’s extreme lack of interest but her intensity did not come off well.

2010: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin

Does anyone even remember these two as hosts? We barely do. Them two together weren’t necessarily a disaster to the level of Anne Hathaway and James Franco, but they also were not memorable. Maybe that says enough.

2009: Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman can just flash a smile and it’s deemed perfect. Jackman’s performance was a good one. It included song, dance and a whole lot of pep.

Given his amazing performance of a Les Mis song during the 2013 Oscars, we’d love to see him back as a host.

2008: Jon Stewart

If there’s someone the Academy should bring back to the Kodak Theater, it’s Jon Stewart.

The “Daily Show with Jon Stewart” host sparked at the Oscars in 2008. He was sharp, witty and on point. He was Jon Stewart.

2008 was an election year, so Stewart fell right at home with make political jokes. It was the 80th Academy Awards and Stewart joked that Oscar should be the presidential nominee for the Republican Party.

There were a few awkward moments with pre-recorded segments in 2008. The Oscars aired right as the writers’ strike ended.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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It’s the day after the Oscars and everyone online is expressing their love for Best Actress winner, Jennifer Lawrence.

The actress, who won for her role in ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ showed off her charisma throughout the show. From the red carpet event where she admitted she was already starving and obsessed with the food, the her fall walking up the steps to receive her golden statue and her post-win interview Lawrence charmed the world with her relaxed attitude and humor. Let’s not forget Lawrence is still 22 years old.

Here are a few of the moments where the world fell in love with JLaw.

1. Red carpet

It’s no surprise Lawrence looked great at the Oscars. She’s beautiful so whatever she decided to wear would look great on her. It was obvious Lawrence wasn’t there for the fashion show. When asked about her outfit, Lawrence casually said she didn’t know much about it, but that it had a top, a bottom and that it fit well. Lawrence’s response didn’t resemble Kristen Stewart’s “I’m above this” manner but rather that of a young lady still learning to juggle all the attention she is receiving.

From the beginning, she was looking for the food. She admitted to Ryan Seacrest that she was starving and is obsessed with food.

2. She fell and was still graceful about it

In what is probably every actor’s nightmare, Lawrence fell walking up the steps to receive her award. It wasn’t a fumble or a misstep, she literally fell to her hands and knees on the way up. Instead of rushing through her acceptance speech and running backstage to cry her eyes out – which is what we would probably do – Lawrence carried on and even cracked a joke about her tumble.

As the audience gave her a standing ovation, Lawrence joked that the only reason they are standing is because they feel bad for her falling.

It wouldn’t be an awards show without a dose of Lawrence’s self-deprecating humor.

3. She took a shot

Just like any 22-year-old would do in a stressful situation, Lawrence took a shot. The only difference is most other people her age do it before a job interview or a first date. For Lawrence, the need for some booze came before her press interview following her win.

Watch her full backstage interview below and start daydreaming about being JLaw’s new best friend.

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  Jennifer Lawrence interview post Oscar win

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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Inappropriate jokes, while they make can make us cringe, are often times funny. We know they’re bad, but we laugh regardless.

The comment The Onion made about Quvenzhané Wallis last night during the Academy Awards went too far. You just can’t call a 9-year-old girl the c-word. At such a young age, we doubt Wallis even knows what the c-word is.

Around 9:10 p.m. last night The Onion tweeted the below comment.

Who knew that with Seth McFarlane as the host, the most controversial comment of the night would come from The Onion?

The tweet was live for approximately an hour before it was taken down due to the backlash.

By Monday afternoon, The Onion took to its Facebook page to offer an apology of the tweet. The full apology is below:

Dear Readers,
On behalf of The Onion, I offer my personal apology to Quvenzhané Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars. It was crude and offensive—not to mention inconsistent with The Onion’s commitment to parody and satire, however biting.
No person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire.
The tweet was taken down within an hour of publication. We have instituted new and tighter Twitter procedures to ensure that this kind of mistake does not occur again.
In addition, we are taking immediate steps to discipline those individuals responsible.
Miss Wallis, you are young and talented and deserve better. All of us at The Onion are deeply sorry.
Sincerely,
Steve Hannah
CEO
The Onion

In an industry that forces young actresses to grow up fast, be sexy and act much older than their age, why can’t we let a 9-year-old just be a 9-year-old? Wallis, who was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ is just a kid. There’s plenty of time in her future for The Onion to call her names.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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Rookie Oscar host Seth MacFarlane casually slung a string of zingers at some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including a musical tribute to female frontal nudity in the movies, as he launched the Academy Awards show on Sunday on a decisively provocative note.

In an opening monologue and package of song-and-dance numbers obviously calculated to live up to, and even lampoon, his own reputation for pushing the boundaries of taste, MacFarlane put his biting, edgy brand of humor front and center.

He started off joking that best-picture front-runner “Argo,” about a real-life clandestine CIA operation to rescue American hostages from Iran, was “so top secret that the film’s director is unknown to the Academy.”

The barb was a not-so-subtle jab at members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for failing to nominate Ben Affleck as best director for the critically acclaimed film.

“They know they screwed up,” MacFarlane added, as the camera panned to a shot of Affleck, looking somewhat uncomfortable in his seat. “Ben, it’s not your fault.”

The edgy quotient quickly escalated as MacFarlane described another best-film candidate, “Django Unchained,” as the slavery-era “story of a man fighting to get back his woman who has been subjected to unthinkable violence – or as Chris Brown and Rihanna call it, a date movie.”

The punch line reference to the physical abuse involved in the relationship between the two R&B singers – Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna in 2009 – drew an audible groan from the star-studded Dolby Theatre audience.

“Oh, no, that’s what we were afraid he would do,” MacFarlane dead-panned.

More groans followed as MacFarlane went on to joke that the profanity-laced screenplay from “Django” was “loosely based on Mel Gibson’s voice mails,” an allusion to the public disclosure several years ago of ranting telephone messages the actor-director had left for his then-girlfriend.

SELF-LAMPOONING

MacFarlane’s performance should not have come as too great a surprise. The comedian, actor and singer made his mark as creator of the animated television series “Family Guy,” a show known for its ribald satire, much of it aimed at Hollywood conventions.

And MacFarlane, 39, wasted no time in sending up his own risqué persona, in a comedy bit with actor William Shatner, who joined the host on stage via a video screen in the character of Captain Kirk from the sci-fi TV and film series “Star Trek.”

In his fictional drop-in visit from the future, Shatner warns MacFarlane he is “destroying the Academy Awards” with jokes that are “tasteless and inappropriate.”

But the interlude segued into a song-and-dance number by MacFarlane showcasing his vocal chops to a tune called “We Saw Your Boobs,” in which he rhapsodically ticked off the names of various A-list Hollywood actresses who have bared their breasts in films over the years.

Admonished by Shatner to sing songs that celebrate the movies rather than mock them, MacFarlane proceeded to deliver a more respectful rendering of the showbiz standard, “The Way You Look Tonight,” joined on stage in elegant dance by actress Charlize Theron (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) and actor Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike”).

MacFarlane showed off his own dancing talents in a three-way soft-shoe number with actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Lincoln”) and “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe.

In the way that many cartoons, including MacFarlane’s own “Family Guy” series, operate on different levels for kids and their parents, this year’s Oscar telecast seemed especially designed to play to more than one TV audience.

MacFarlane’s more provocative turns were offset by some of the more traditional pomp typical of Hollywood’s biggest night, including a 50th-anniversary montage salute to James Bond films, capped by veteran singer Shirley Bassey, now 76, reprising her title song from the 1964 film “Goldfinger.”

Early reaction to MacFarlane’s performance was mixed.

In a Twitter message posted during the show, actor-comedian and former Oscar host Steve Martin commented, facetiously: “Congratulations to Seth Rogan (another comically risqué actor with the same first name as the host) on a great monologue. Old-fashioned is back! I’m in!”

CNN host Piers Morgan tweeted, “I doubt there will have ever been a more divisive #Oscars host than @SethMacFarlane – I’m loving him, others are hating it.”

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All that glitters is gold? In the case of these Oscar gowns — yes. Jessica Chastain shimmered in custom Armani Prive (her flawless, flowing locks also added to her glamorous look). Catherine Zeta-Jones rocked a gold Zuhair Murad gown, while Renee Zellweger wore her go-to designer, a flawlessly-tailored Carolina Herrera. Halle Berry and Stacy Keibler both wore art-deco inspired gowns, with Berry in custom Versace and Keibler in a glittery dress by Naeem Khan.

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Jennifer Lawrence nabbed Best Actress for “Silver Linings Playbook” at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.
Credit: Getty Images

While Hollywood waited to crown the winners at the Oscars, there were other accolades to be awarded elsewhere — some more welcome than others.

CESARS:
Friday night brought with it the Césars, France’s answer to the Academy Awards. In a switch from most of this year’s awards shows — and likely the Oscars as well — Michael Haneke’s “Amour” won best film, while Ben Affleck’s “Argo” earned best foreign film. “Amour,” a stark portrait of love and aging, earned four other trophies as well, including best director and original screenplay for Haneke, best actor for Jean-Louis Trintignant and best actress for Emmanuelle Riva, who was also nominated for an Oscar for her performance. “Rust and Bone,” a surprise shut-out at the Oscars, picked up two Césars — best adapted screenplay for Jacques Audiard and best male newcomer for Matthias Schoenaerts.

SPIRIT AWARDS:
Oscar hopeful “Silver Linings Playbook” dominated the Film Independent Spirit Awards, held Saturday afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. “Silver Linings” nabbed the top prize, while David O. Russell won statues for best director and best screenplay, and Jennifer Lawrence, a favorite for the Oscar, won best actress. The film’s stiffest competition, fellow Oscar-nominee “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” earned one award, going to Ben Richardson for best cinematography. John Hawkes and Oscar nominee Helen Hunt picked up best actor and best supporting actress statues for “The Sessions,” while Matthew McConaughey won best supporting actor for “Magic Mike.” Michael Haneke accepted the award for best international film for “Amour,” and “Perks of Being a Wallflower” writer, director and author Stephen Chbosky won for best first feature.

RAZZIES:
For the 33rd year running, members of the Hollywood community with more of a sense of humor spent Oscars Eve announcing the winners of the Golden Raspberries — or Razzies — dubious awards marking the worst in cinema for the year. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2″ dominated Saturday night, earning seven awards including worst film, worst ensemble cast, worst actress for Kristen Stewart, worst supporting actor for Taylor Lautner and worst director for Oscar-winner Bill Condon. Lautner also got worst onscreen couple alongside 12-year-old Mackenzie Foy. Adam Sandler won worst actor for the second year in a row, scoring this year for “That’s My Boy,” and Rihanna’s film debut, “Battleship,” earned her a Razzie for worst supporting actress.

Tweets by @nedrick

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It was Ben Affleck’s night as his film, “Argo,” earned the top prize at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Despite Affleck being shut out of the Best Director race, his CIA-meets-Hollywood drama snagged the top prize of Best Picture in a night of scatter-shot awards distribution. “Argo” also earned Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay for Chris Terrio and for Best Editing. Outside of the Best Picture race, there was no movie that had a clean sweep. Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” came closest, earning four awards — the most of any film this year —  including Best Director for Lee, while “Les Miserables” scored three. Jennifer Lawrence earned the only award for “Silver Linings Playbook,” winning her first Oscar for Best Actress.

In a rare Oscars tie, the award for Best Sound Editing was shared by “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Skyfall.” For history buffs, the last time there was a tie for an Oscar was in 1968, when Barbra Streisand shared the award for Best Actress with Katharine Hepburn. Daniel Day-Lewis also made history Sunday night by becoming the first actor to win three Best Actor trophies after his win for “Lincoln.”

As expected, Michael Haneke’s “Amour” won for Best Foreign Language Film and Anne Hathaway earned a trophy for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Les Miserables” as the tragic Fantine. “I look up to you all so much, and it’s just been such an honor,” Hathaway said, paying tribute to her fellow nominees. And Adele easily took the Best Song category for “Skyfall,” breaking down in tears in the middle of her speech and letting co-writer Paul Epworth finish up.

Awards aside, the ceremony itself was something of a mixed bag, led by host, “Family Guy” creator and Best Song nominee Seth MacFarlane, known for both his love of old-school crooning and envelope-pushing humor. MacFarlane opened the show by doing the seemingly impossible: making usually dour Tommy Lee Jones smile and laugh. He also poked fun at other nominees — “If you bumped into Don Cheadle on the studio lot, did you try to free him?” he asked nominee Day-Lewis. “How far did your Method go?” — and himself. His monologue was interrupted by William Shatner on screen chastising him for doing a poor job, including singing a song about Oscar-nominated actresses going topless called “We Saw Your Boobs.”

But it was rough sailing from there, including awkward bits by Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy and the cast of “The Avengers.” The choice to use the theme from “Jaws” to play off winners when they go long was particularly odd. One of the highlights of the ceremony was a rendition of “Goldfinger” by Dame Shirley Bassey during a tribute to the Bond franchise, even if it did seem too brief. Later in the show, Best Song nominee Adele kept the Bond love going with a stirring rendition of “Skyfall.” And Catherine Zeta-Jones wowed the audience with “All That Jazz” from “Chicago” during a tribute to movie musicals.

Even before the Oscars had been handed out, some were already looking toward next year’s contenders, with deals reportedly in the works for perennial awards season heavyweight the Weinstein Company to acquire “Grace of Monaco,” starring Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly, and “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” starring Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela, according to Deadline Hollywood.

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES, BY AWARDS WON:
“Life of Pi”: 4
“Les Miserables”: 3
“Argo”: 3
“Lincoln”: 2
“Django Unchained”: 2
“Zero Dark Thirty”: 1
“Amour”: 1

Tweets by @nedrick

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You shouldn’t feel too bad for the Oscar nominees that don’t win the prestigious award tonight. Even the losers go home with a gift bag worth more than $45,000.

After tonight the lifestyle of the rich and famous will be a little richer. Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles based marketing firm, created the luxurious gift bags nominees will be taking home once the hoopla of the ceremony is over.

These gift bags are nothing like the party favors you took home after your classmate in the 4th grade’s birthday party.

The nominees will leave the ceremony with free swag ranging from trips to spa days. The big gift is a $12,000 trip to Australia, where they have a choice between two luxury destinations: Lizard Island or El Questro homestead.

They can also opt for a $4,100 one week all-inclusive trip to a fitness and weight loss retreat (how Hollywood, right?) or a $2,000, three-night stay at the AAA-Five-Diamond St. Regis Punta Mita, including daily breakfast, massages and fine dining.

Other odd gifts include a Vampire Facelift, worth $5,000, Naked Condoms (Does 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis also get these?), Bonita Platinum Tequila, bracelets that double as hair ties.

For the complete list of gift bag item, click here.

For all this free swag, we’re considering launching an acting career.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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America isn’t the only country to boast lavish, self-congratulatory, end-of-the-year awards ceremonies celebrating the year in motion pictures, but it was, as with everything America does, the first. The Academy Awards commenced in 1929, while the BAFTAs, the British equivalent (though, like the Golden Globes, they fête TV as well), launched in 1946. It took the French till 1976 to kickstart the Césars, their version, which this year decided to upstage the Oscars by holding their ceremony on Friday, two days before the one in Los Angeles.

Though obviously French-centric, there is some overlap between the Césars and the Oscars. The big winner Friday night was, perhaps inevitably, “Amour,” Michael Haneke’s celebrated study of an elderly man tending to his dying wife. The film won five awards out of the ten for which it was nominated, including Picture, Director and Screenplay (both Haneke), Actor (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Actress (Emannuelle Riva). Of these, only Trintignant isn’t an Oscar nominee [ed. which is a shame].

Also winning was Matthias Schoenaerts for “Rust and Bone” as Best Newcomer, an award the Oscars do not have because the ceremony is already much too long.

The Césars also named “Argo” as Best Foreign-Language Film, which was likely both a treat for its director, Ben Affleck, and more salt in his already salted wounds, seeing as he was “snubbed” a Best Director nomination at the Oscars. Traditionally, the lack of that nomination means it has little chance of taking home the Best Picture trophy. The last film to win Best Picture without its director even nominated for an award was “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1989.

The Césars also gave an Honorary Award to “Swing State” star Kevin Costner.

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Though it helps, winning an Oscar isn’t a guarantee of future success. Even ignoring the many nominees who have gone on to very little, there are plenty of Academy Award winners who found post-Oscar life bumpy, if not tragic, or at least pleasant and quiet. Here are but some:

Emil Jannings: The first winner of the Best Actor Oscar arguably suffered the strangest fate of all fellow winners. An established star of the German screen – and a regular for F.W. Murnau, in “The Last Laugh” and “Faust” – the imposing, porcine Jannings emigrated to Hollywood in 1927 and quickly made a name for himself. In only his second year in town he made history with his Academy Award for “The Last Command,” Josef Von Sternberg’s blistering tale of a former Russian general who falls into disrepair and winds up with a second life, of sorts, in Hollywood movies. It’s a command (heh?) performance, but the timing was off: sound was about to revolutionize Hollywood, silent cinema was about to die and, like many foreign stars at the time, Jannings’ accent was so thick that few Americans could understand him. This tale was surely a major influence on “The Artist,” but at least that film’s protagonist didn’t do what happened next: Jannings bounced back to Germany, where he eventually aligned himself with the Nazi party, and starred in several Nazi films. Predictably, his attempt to make up with America after the war did not fare well, and he retired to Austria, where, in 1950, he died of liver cancer at 66. Jannings can be seen, portrayed by Hilmar Eichorn, in the climax of “Inglorious Basterds,” where it is implied that he was killed during the movie theater massacre.

Luise Rainer: At 103, Rainer is the oldest living Oscar-winning thespian, but she’s only been in two films since 1938. A Jewish émigré from Germany, Rainer won consecutive Best Actress trophies in 1936 and 1937, for “The Great Ziegfield” and “The Good Earth,” the latter of which featured her passing as a Chinese farmer. The twin accolades raised expectations precipitously, and an unsure Hollywood only gave her small, uninteresting roles. So she quit Hollywood. She studied medicine, hit the stage and every now and then entertained bids to return to the screen, from Hollywood as well as from Federico Fellini, who cast her in “La Dolce Vita” only for her to quit before production. And she’s still goin’.

James Dunn: A Vaudevillian and a staple of Pre-Code Hollywood cinema, Dunn was, alas, an alcoholic, and his condition all but torpedoed his career. It wasn’t exactly typecasting when he played boozing, if warm, Irish father in 1945’s “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” which netted him a Supporting Actor trophy. But his comeback was short-lived: by the 1950s he was unemployed, bankrupt and once again struggling with alcohol. The remainder of his career, till his death in 1967, was largely in television, including the sitcom “It’s a Good Life.”

Harold Russell: Russell was a real-life GI who lost both his hands in WWII. When it came time to cast for the role of a severely handicapped soldier in the post-war saga “The Best Years of Our Lives,” director William Wyler tapped him. It wasn’t just stunt casting: Russell had a decency and chipperness that can’t be faked. After he won his Supporting Actor Oscar, he was told by Wyler that there weren’t many roles for actors without hands. He only made two other films – 1980’s “Inside Moves” and 1997’s “Dogtown” – and instead went to school, got a business degree and wrote two memoirs.

Shirley Booth: Booth was a Broadway star who won one of her Tonys for “Come Back Little Sheba,” a role she recreated for the 1952 film version, opposite Burt Lancaster. Even after winning Best Actress, she still preferred the stage, to which she returned. Which we can all agree is pretty badass. She only made four other films, but did play the title role on the TV show “Hazel,” for which she won two Emmys.

Miyoshi Umeki: Japanese singer and actress Miyoshi Umeki recorded American jazz standards both in Japanese or partial-English. She came to America and wound up cast in “Sayonara,” for which she won a Supporting Actress Oscar. Hollywood didn’t know what to do with her, so other mediums picked her up: first, she won a Tony for “The Flower Drum Song,” which was made into a movie in 1961 – one of Umeki’s few other film appearances. Then TV nabbed her: she was also a variety show mainstay and won accolades, as the stoic housekeeper on “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.”

Tatum O’Neal: Don’t win an Oscar as a kid. Unless you’re Anna Paquin. Although O’Neal’s “Paper Moon” rapscallion mops the floor with Paquin’s “The Piano” kid.

Peter Finch: Not to be ghoulish, but technically the longtime Brit actor never got to reap the benefits of his 1976 “Network” Best Actor win. (Even though he’s obviously a supporting character, but whatever.) He never even knew he won: he died of a heart attack in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel, at 60, mere weeks before the Oscars ceremony. His last seen work was as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the 1977 TV movie “Raid on Entebbe,” one of the many films and TV movies made on the subject at the time. [Update: Originally this article said "See also: Henry Fonda, who posthumously won for “On Golden Pond.” As a number of readers have pointed out (all politely, which is nice), this is untrue. Fonda wouldn't die until August of 1982, several months after winning his final Oscar. His daughter Jane accepted the award for him as he was too sick to attend the ceremony.]

Beatrice Straight: Finch’s “Network” costar was on-screen for five minutes and forty seconds, and still won a Supporting Actress Oscar. That’s still a record – sorry, Judi Dench of “Shakespeare in Love” – and all the more notable because she did very little else of note, beyond a supporting role in “Poltergeist.”

F. Murray Abraham: The “Amadeus” star is the poster child of wasted Oscar potential. Not that he’s not talented – it’s just that he never found the right roles, in part, perhaps, because few knew what to do with someone whose screen presence is mischievous, cunning yet refined. His first post-Oscar film role was in “The Name of the Rose,” and after that the next closest thing to a significant film is “The Bonfire of the Vanities.” Still, of late Abraham has been getting some juicy supporting roles, notably two memorable appearances on “Louie.” Abraham is aware of his infamy, and pretty sobering about it: “The Oscar is the single most important event of my career. I have dined with kings, shared equal billing with my idols, lectured at Harvard and Columbia. If this is a jinx, I’ll take two.”

Haing S. Ngor: A doctor who survived the Khmer Rouge, Ngor was a non-actor who was cast to bring verisimilitude to “The Killing Fields,” Roland Joffé’s film about the genocide (told, like many Western films about foreign and non-white tragedies, from a white perspective). Ngor won a Supporting Oscar for playing a photojournalist against stars Sam Waterston and John Malkovich, but didn’t aggressively pursue a career, putting most of his energy into spreading awareness of the horrors he had witnessed and helping to rebuild Cambodia. He did, however, occasionally pop up in small film roles, in “My Life” and Oliver Stone’s “Heaven and Earth,” as well as in the Sammo Hung war film “Eastern Condors,” which was his first film post-Oscar. Ngor was shot dead outside of his L.A. Chinatown home in 1996, the result of an alleged bungled robbery.

Roberto Benigni: “Life is Beautiful” is a far more interesting film than its rep – here’s a fascinating take – but no doubt most of the people who voted for it read it as a simple heart-warming dramedy about the Holocaust. It was, in other words, a fluke, a fad, and the backlash was mighty: Benigni’s 2002 follow-up – a splashy, surreal, big-budget adaptation of “Pinocchio” – was a monster hit in Europe and a disaster in America. Not that what Miramax – who had four years prior shepherded “Beautiful” to Oscar glory – did to it helped: they dubbed the entire thing into English, including scrubbing Benigni’s signature voice and replacing it with – you guessed it – Breckin Meyer. Then again, not everyone was comfortable with a 50-year old playing a little wooden boy. Benigni was last seen on American screens in a tiny, extremely restrained role in Woody Allen’s “To Rome With Love.”

Jennifer Hudson: The jury is technically still out on Hudson, as it’s only been six years since her “Dreamgirls” win. But at the time Hudson seemed to have won her Supporting Actress trophy for 1) her backstory and 2) her killer rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” Some noted even then that while she was electric while speaking, she had yet to learn the “react” part of acting. As Sean Burns memorably put it in the Philadelphia Weekly, “Sometimes she looks like C-3PO, after Han Solo hit the ‘off’ button on the back of his head.” Either way, she confirmed the most cynical fears by subsequently popping up as Carrie’s assistant in the “Sex and the City” movie, in the ensemble of “The Secret Life of Bees” and as a nun in “The Three Stooges,” plus a few smaller films. But, you know, she’s only 31.

The post Academy Award winners with bumpy post-Oscar careers appeared first on Metro.us.

Though it tends to pull in a fifth of the audience that tunes in to the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards are still considered a television bohemoth. Some of you have even seen some of the nominated films. And though the snubs were nastier than usual this year — sorry, Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and “Amour”’s Jean-Louis Trintignant — at least you get to see Seth MacFarlane in the flesh, not as a cartoon (though perhaps for longer than you’d like.) We look at the forthcoming ceremony from a number of fresh angles:

Rating the hosts

The choice of “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane may seem like yet another attempt by the older-skewing Oscars to appeal to the kids. The thing is, he actually has a surprising tendency toward Old Hollywood style. At parties thrown at his house, MacFarlane is even known to sing standards backed by a big band. While the jury’s still out on MacFarlane’s performance, we thought we’d see what he has to measure up to from the past few years’ shows:

2009: Hugh Jackman
Grade: 4 Globes
The Australian charmer — who happens to be a Best Actor nominee this year, for “Les Miserables” — turned in the hosting performance to beat the year “Slumdog Millionaire” won. His opening song-and-dance number was the standout, but Broadway veteran Jackman proved he’s an all-around talent.

2010: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin
Grade: 2 Globes
The likeable comic actors relied heavily on their own charm, but it wasn’t enough to save the show. With stale jokes and awkward delivery, their performance felt too much like an ad for their equally disappointing 2009 film, “It’s Complicated.”

2011: James Franco and Anne Hathaway
Grade: 1 Globe
As we remarked during this train wreck, “Apparently there is something James Franco can’t do.” This brazen attempt at pulling in younger viewers turned out to be a disaster, with current nominee Hathaway seemingly abandoned by Franco, who seemed to have given up on the endeavor before it began.

2012: Billy Crystal
Grade: 2 Globes
After the Franco/Hathaway disaster, the Academy went back to standby Crystal, hosting his ninth Oscars. But the funnyman’s schtick maybe went too old-fashioned, as his bits were generally panned as hokey and out of touch. Case in point: While many in that precious younger demographic might not necessarily know Crystal was dressing up as Sammy Davis Jr. in one bit, they do know what blackface looks like.

Daniel Day-Lewis may win his third Oscar for playing some president in “Lincoln.”
Credit: Reuters

The odds are …
With odds of 4 to 1, Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” is still the favorite to win the big prize of Best Picture at the Academy Awards Sunday, according to Gold Derby, which tracks the chances for Oscar nominees. That’s despite the surge of support — and wins at other awards shows — for Ben Affleck’s “Argo.” The surge started when Affleck was left out of the Best Director race, which Spielberg is also most likely to take, with 12 to 5 odds.

In the acting categories, it’s no surprise to anyone that “Lincoln” star Daniel Day-Lewis is most likely on his way to becoming the first three-time Best Actor winner in Oscar history, with a 39 percent chance of victory. The only nominee with better odds of scoring a trophy is Anne Hathaway, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “Les Miserables.” The Best Actress race is much more interesting, with “Silver Linings Playbook” star Jennifer Lawrence (33 percent) edging out “Zero Dark Thirty”’s Jessica Chastain (30 percent).

“Life of Pi” made the most money out of all the Best Picture nominees.

Best Picture nominees by box office

It’s no secret in Hollywood that awards season accolades and box office success don’t always go hand in hand — though a high-profile nomination or win will generally boost a film’s gross. So how do the nine Best Picture nominees rank as far as their global ticket sales?

1. Life of Pi: $576 million
2. Les Miserables: $378.9 million
3. Django Unchained: $365.9 million
4. Lincoln: $235 million
5. Argo: $204 million
6. Silver Linings Playbook: $140 million
7. Zero Dark Thirty: $101.5 million
8. Amour: $17 million
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild: $12 million

On the flip side, we take a look at how the highest grossing films of 2012 stack up when it comes to Oscar nominations:

1. The Avengers ($1.5 billion) — 1 nomination
2. Skyfall ($1.1 billion) — 5 nominations
3. The Dark Knight Rises ($1.08 billion) — 0 nominations
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($959.8 million) — 3 nominations
5. Ice Age: Continental Drift ($875.3 million) — 0 nominations

Bryan Cranston, right, says his wife wants to go to the Oscars more than he does

Bryan Cranston on the joys of awards season
If you see “Breaking Bad” and “Argo” star Bryan Cranston at Sunday’s Academy Awards, know that he’s not there of his own volition. “First of all, I wouldn’t go. If I’m not nominated, why am I there?” he tells Metro. “They want me to go the Oscars. I’m not nominated, but ‘Argo’ is, and it’s like, ‘Go, go, go!’ My wife’s saying, ‘You’ve got to go! We’ve got to go!’ And it’s like, ‘Really? I don’t know. Another tuxedo?’ From the outside in, you’re like, ‘Wow! Look at that!’ But when you’re there, I’m telling you … I’ve got to be careful how I phrase this because I don’t want to sound like I’m not grateful. I’m grateful for the opportunities.”

It’s not sitting through the shows themselves that bug Cranston so much as working the red carpets. “I hate red carpet interviews, because you get as a deep into a conversation as you would in a loud bar,” he says. “It’s awful, it’s awful. The publicists, they tell me it’s important and you should do it, but any time I go, I ask, ‘Can I avoid the red carpet?’”

The post The Academy Awards by the numbers appeared first on Metro.us.

In anticipation of Sundays Oscars, we combed the Academy Awards archives for the best and worst red carpet looks.

The post Photos: The best and worst Academy Awards gowns appeared first on Metro.us.

Lo McShay

Credit: Studio Vitri

If you’re hosting pals over this Sunday night for the Academy Awards, roll out the red carpet for them: “Anything to indulge your guests a little bit and make them feel like a celebrity for the evening I think is a nice touch,” says Boston-based event planner Lolo McShay. We got her tips on just how to do that.

Food

Butternut squash soup shooters

Credit: Kelly Benvenuto
You could tie your foods to this year’s favorite films (Life of Apple Pi, anyone?), or, McShay says, you can model your meal after the very dinner the Oscar attendees will be having at Wolfgang Puck’s Governor’s Ball on Oscar night.
“I took my inspiration for the foods that I’m going to be serving at my girls’ get-together based off of his menu, which is all around comfort food this year,” she says. She and Puck will be serving red snapper, chicken pot pie, soup shooters and a grilled peach-and-tomato salad (skewer yours for easy clean-up). You can find her recipes for these dishes at www.loloevents.net.
For an extra touch, “make a little sign for the buffet that hints to your guests that these are directly off the menu that Wolfgang Puck is going to be serving at the Governor’s Ball. Even make a printed menu for your guests that says ‘Governor’s Ball 2013’ on it.” The goal is to “give your guests an experience of being there at the Oscars.”

Drinks
For such a celebratory occasion, McShay says you can’t go wrong with a little bubbly. At her Oscars party, she’s serving up “probably the most iconic champagne cocktail, the New York Metropolitan Hotel’s Champagne Cocktail.” It’s easy to make it yourself: Soak a sugar cube in bitters, toss it in the bottom of a champagne flute, top it with champagne, and if you’re feeling extra fancy, add a bit of cognac at the top.

Décor
For her shindig, McShay is modeling her living room after the “Architectural Digest”-designed green room where presenters and nominees will mingle during the show. “‘Architectural Digest” has said that their inspiration for this year’s green room is a place where contemporary celebrities would run into famous celebrities of bygone eras, so [I’m incorporating] that mix of current, modern interior design with vintage touches.” How to bring a bit of old-Hollywood into your pad this weekend? Serve your cocktails on a bar cart, if you have one, and pick up a luxurious-looking crushed velvet throw pillow or blanket “just add a little something texture-wise to give that sense of a bygone era,” she says. Color-wise, gold is a good hue to play around.

More drinks

The Nominees are…

2 part) Pinnacle® Blackberry Vodka
4 parts Ginger Ale
Splash Lime Juice
Mix in a glass with ice and garnish with an orange slice.

Zero Dark Thirsty

1.5 parts SVEDKA Cherry
Top with fresh apple juice
Build in rocks glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

Pour L’Amour

1 oz Pisa Liqueur
1/3 oz Absolut® vodka
1 oz cream
Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Strain over ice in a rock glass.

“Unchained Western” -Inspired by “Django Unchained”

2-3 chunks of frozen pineapple
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. maraschino syrup
2 oz. rye whiskey
Polar Lemon Seltzer
Lemon twist, to garnish
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the pineapple, syrup, lemon juice and whiskey. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a coupe, top with seltzer. Garnish with lemon twist.

You’ll need an award-winning wine for such a winning night: The Darkhorse 2010 Chardonnay won a gold medal at the 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and pairs well with fresh fruit and mild cheeses. $8, Trader Joe’s

The post How to throw an all-star Oscar party appeared first on Metro.us.

Wolfgang Puck may be the world’s best-known celebrity chef — he certainly was one of the first in the U.S. — and at 63, he is busier than ever. Puck oversees a global empire of restaurants (including his flagship, Spago, in Beverly Hills), popular lines of canned and frozen food, and his designer cookware, all balanced with television and radio appearances and seemingly nonstop travel. As he recently told the New York Times, “Why stop? What would you do at home?”

There is even more on his plate: For the past 17 years, Puck has also been the executive chef of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual after-Oscar Governor’s Ball, probably the ultimate Hollywood party. The next dinner, on February 24, will once again be at the Hollywood & Highland Center, in the ballroom of the former Kodak Theater, now the Dolby Theater.

So what’s the secret to cooking for George Clooney, Angie and Brad, and hundreds of other Academy members? We caught up with the superstar chef in Los Angeles, on his cell phone in his car on his way to yet another meeting.

Q: How many guests are we talking about for this party?

There are about 3,500 people who attend the Awards, and we have a little less than half — 1,600 — at the actual dinner. It’s by invitation only.

Q: Organizing it strikes us as something like a military operation. Do you start planning the next one as soon as you finish the one on Oscar night?

Not at all. I do everything at the last moment. That’s my favorite thing.

Q: So that keeps the menu up to date. But don’t you have to finalize it ahead at some point?

We have to have the dishes decided by the middle of January. We do a presentation at a press conference for the media. So even Sherry has to have her dessert ready then, too.

Q: Can you handle special requests?

Oh, yes. We have everything: Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher …

Q: But how do you juggle all those different things?

We changed the format a few years ago to small plates. That way, there is something for everyone. So all night long there are small-portion dishes that get passed around to the tables.

Q: Like what?

You might get one grilled lamb chop, a small something with lobster like we do at Chinois, mini chicken pot pie with black truffles, slices of pizza, mac and cheese, a small potato with caviar. You eat six or seven little things. It’s easier on the kitchen, and everyone can pick and choose.

Q: Any particular favorites with the crowd?

After the first time we made the chicken pot pie with black truffles, someone on the Academy Board of Governors told me, “We don’t care what else you do, but you have to have the pot pie.”

Q: Can you dish on some specific celebs?

Barbra Streisand loves the wild mushroom risotto with black truffles, and the slow-braised short ribs. And a few years ago, Danny DeVito asked for a double order of lobster.

Q: How large is the team that you work with on that evening?

We have probably 300 in the kitchen and then 600 waitstaff in the dining room.

Q: Walk us through the time line leading up to that Sunday night.

Matt, our catering manager, organizes and buys everything. By Friday, we have all the food in for sure. But we might start ahead of that with things like smoked salmon — that’s 10 days before — or a week ahead for other things. We get the produce and perishables in as last-minute as we can. We had 800 Dover sole one year for the 1,600 portions.

Q: And the cooking?

We start the day before with what we can do, and then at 5 p.m. Sunday, as the show comes on in LA.

Q: It sounds as if you’re just using your regular staff to get this all done. That’s impressive.

Pretty much, yes. And we have a lot of other parties going on at the restaurants that week, too.

Q: What’s the seating arrangement? Do you help with that, too? That could be a nightmare in Hollywood.

I am part of that. And I treat it like my restaurants. We seat friends together, and the films and studios together. Dawn Hudson is great. She told me, “I want to have a party.” And the more we make it into an upscale party with great food, the more people like it.

Q: We know that it wasn’t always so.

No. When we were still at the original Spago, nobody went to the Governor’s Ball. The stars walked through it and then went straight to Swifty’s party at Spago. The press couldn’t interview anyone. The whole thing has changed.

Q: So it was a smart move to hire the creator of Spago for the Governor’s Ball.

It was rocky at the beginning. The first time I did it, the show was still at the Shrine. We had to build a kitchen outside, and it was windy and the burners kept going out. I was worried we would be serving raw chicken with black truffles. We had to put aluminum foil around the burners to keep them from blowing out. I had other LA chefs — I remember that Angelo from Valentino was there — to help me.

Q: But the Dolby Ballroom kitchen is better, I’m sure.

We have two kitchens there, and we designed them. So we don’t have to go camping anymore.

Q: When do you eat on Oscar night?

I eat all night as the plates go out, and of course we have staff meals — salads, soups — and we feed the crew and other staff. We feed more than 3,000 people that day.

Q: Who would you have cook an awards dinner for you?

I’d have a lot of the LA people, like Nobu and Nancy Silverton, and some of the new chefs like the guys from Animal. And I’d have some really good wines. For any awards dinner, you need to have good wines.

Q: Who does the wines for the Governor’s Ball?

Moet & Chandon. We’re hoping they’ll be back.

Q: Any downtime after the big night?

Oh, no. Straight back to work. We have the new Spago to run. I’m very happy with it, and people seem to love it.

Q: It sounds as if you have the Governor’s Ball down to a science.

It’s easier when it’s organized. To make a success, you have to do what you know how to do well. This isn’t the night to try anything new.

Barbara Fairchild, the former editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, is a best-selling author, speaker, consultant and an inductee into the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who in American Food and Beverage.”

The post Massive Oscars dinner a piece of cake, says Oscars chef Wolfgang Puck appeared first on Metro.us.

Take home your very own chocolate Oscar from Sugar and Plumm.
Whether you’re watching the glam out on the town or at home, here’s how to eat and drink like a stargazer this Sunday.

KTCHN Restaurant
508 W. 42nd St., 212-868-2999
Join executive chef Dale Schnell for an Oscars viewing party based upon the first-ever Academy Awards Ceremony in 1929. Enjoy food and drinks inspired by the menu at the very first Oscars dinner, and fill out a prediction ballot for the chance to win prizes. Catch the red carpet and ceremony on a 120-inch screen beginning at 7 p.m. Reservations required.

Nitehawk Cinema
136 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, 718-384-3980
Williamsburg’s indie movie house and eatery hosts a screening featuring its annual Oscar menu inspired by acclaimed films of the past year. We’d go straight for dessert and order the “Silver Linings Playbook” — Philly-style “kandy kakes” with a Victory Prima Pils.

Tacombi
267 Elizabeth St., 917-727-0179
The taqueria will project the awards on two large screens, one in the front of the house and one in the back, so everyone gets to see. Chef Luis Aguilar will be mixing Passion-Fruit Champagne Cocktails for the ceremony.

W Hotels
multiple locations, www.whotelsnewyork.com/nyc
Sample a specialty cocktail designed just for Oscar night. We’d try the Honest Abe “Lincoln,” which includes orange bitters, soda and applejack.

Take-out options:
Sugar and Plumm
377 Amsterdam Ave., 212-787-8778
Snap up a hand-crafted chocolate Oscar at this bistro, bakery and chocolatier. They come in three varieties: milk chocolate, gold dark chocolate and dark chocolate, and make a perfect gift or party favor.

Epicerie Boulud
1900 Broadway, 212-595-9606
A specialized Oscar-night catering menu can take the pressure off busy viewing party hosts. Place orders by Saturday evening for hot and cold trays and Hollywood-themed sweets.

The post A-List NYC Oscar parties appeared first on Metro.us.

The Academy Awards are usually tightly scripted events, but sometimes even Oscar gets a taste of the unexpected. Here are some of the curious moments when things veered off course on the red carpet.

REFUSING OSCAR

A few Oscar winners have felt compelled to turn down their prizes over the years. The first was screenwriter Dudley Nichols, who refused his Best Screenwriter award for “The Informer” in 1936 because of conflicts between the Screen Writers Guild and the Academy. Marlon Brando famously sent a proxy to refuse his 1972 Best Actor Oscar for “The Godfather” on his behalf (and to deliver a 15-page speech on Hollywood’s mistreatment of Native Americans while she was there).

The all-time greatest rejection, though, goes to George C. Scott, who denounced his Best Actor nomination for “Patton,” calling the awards “offensive, barbarous and innately corrupt.” Scott was quoted as calling the ceremonies “a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons.” When he won the award, he was 3,000 miles away at home, watching a hockey game on TV. Brilliantly, Scott’s high moral tone was strangely absent when, two years later, he let it be known that if the Academy felt like nominating him for Best Director for “Rage,” he wouldn’t object. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t much feel like it.

Ten years later, Scott was so keen on the idea of an offensively barbarous two-hour meat parade that he bought last-minute tickets for the 1982 ceremony, and would have gotten away without incident had he not been spotted by a columnist from Variety and heckled on the red carpet.

A LONG WALK TO THE STAGE

Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American to win an Academy Award, for her portrayal of Mammy in the 1939 film “Gone With The Wind” – as mentioned by George Clooney in his 2006 “Isn’t Hollywood progressive?” Oscars speech.

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  George Clooney winning Best Supporting Actor

MINISKIRT BAN

In her 1967 classic “How to Dress for Success,” Oscar-winning designer Edith Head said, “Even the most beautiful legs – Marlene Dietrich’s, for instance – look better when the kneecap is covered.” To back up the sentiment, Head, who served as a special adviser to the Academy, banned miniskirts from the 40th Academy Awards in 1967, saving the nation from the indignity of knees it suffered in 1966 (like the shocking mid-leg areas of Inger Stevens – although to be fair, that IS more of a swimsuit than evening wear).

THE STREAKER

Daring to show a little more leg (and a lot more of everything else) than even the poor, oppressed miniskirt lovers of 1967 was Robert Opel, who in 1974 became the only person to have appeared naked onstage at the Oscars.

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  The Streaker at the Oscars

THERE’S NO HOSTING LIKE … WELL, NO HOSTING

There have been good hosts, bad hosts, really bad hosts and really, really bad hosts, but the all-time worst ceremony was one with no host. Few people who saw the 1989 awards show’s opening number – a duet between an actress playing Snow White and non-singer Rob Lowe – will ever forget it. … no matter how much they might want to, or how hard they might try. It wasn’t the first time the show had gone without a host; there was a three-year run in the late ’60s after Bob Hope’s tenure, when no one could follow his masterful act. But 1989 was the last time that happened.

BANNED!

After the Academy caught wind of Sasha Baron Cohen’s plan to turn up dressed as his leading role in “The Dictator,” rumors flew in the weeks leading up to the 2012 Oscars that Baron Cohen would be barred from the ceremony. The Academy, however, said he had never been banned, just warned that the red carpet was no place for stunts. Apparently, Baron Cohen didn’t get the message; he arrived in full costume, carrying an urn containing, he said, the ashes of Kim Jong-il, which he then proceeded to spill over Ryan Seacrest before being escorted off the premises. Actual bans from the Oscars are harder to come by – but not impossible. Just ask Nicholas Chartier, who was reportedly the first nominee ever to fall that far afoul of Oscar, for sending an email to a group of people including Academy members encouraging them to support the film he produced (“The Hurt Locker”) and disparaging another nominated film.

VALUE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS STATUETTE: $1

Much to the disappointment of some faded stars, there’s no profit to be made from an old Oscar. Since 1950, the Academy has made every recipient of the little golden man sign a “winner’s agreement.” If you fall out of love with fame and one day wish to sell you statuette, you have to offer it to the Academy first for $1. That doesn’t mean that Oscars never surface in auctions – Steven Spielberg has spent more than $1.1 million on two used pre-winner’s-agreement Oscars – Clark Gable’s in 1996 and Bette Davis’ in 2001, in order to return them to the Academy. There’s nothing someone with a shelf of real Golden Men likes less than someone else trying to buy their way into the club.

THE SHIFTING STATUETTE

The modern award is 13.5 inches high, weighs 8.5 pounds (3.85 kilograms) and is made of gold-plated britannium, a pewter-like alloy, on a black metal base. But it has not always been so. Before World War Two, the base was stone; during the war, statuettes were made of plaster as a nod to the war effort (though winners could swap them for metal ones once the war was over).

Until the 1950s, child actors who won Oscars were given miniature statuettes. This was not because they were too tiny and weak to carry the big ones off the stage but because it was thought unfair to the adults that they would have to compete with kids.

When ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy got an honorary Oscar in 1938, he was given a wooden Oscar statuette with a movable mouth.

AUSTERITY OSCARS

In 1944, as part of the war effort, the Academy took the 16th Academy Awards to Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the first time for the Oscars in a big public venue. Men and women in uniform were given free tickets for the ceremony, and in a show of solidarity some were given seats on the stage. However, as this video will attest, some of them did look a little bored.

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  1944 16th Academy Awards Oscars

THE OSCARS’ OSCAR

The late Walt Disney currently holds the record for winning the most, with 26 awards given to him personally (22 Oscars, three Special Awards and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award).

On the flip side, sound re-recording mixer – it’s a real job, apparently – Kevin O’Connell has been named the Oscar’s most unlucky nominee, having been nominated 20 times without winning.

Meanwhile, there has only ever been one Oscar to win an Oscar. Songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II, fittingly, won two.

The post VIDEO: Strange but true stories from Academy Awards past appeared first on Metro.us.

“First an Oscar nomination, then I find a basically brand-new queen mattress on my drive home.  This is an incredible day.” — Seth MacFarlane, songwriter, “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted” (Best Original Song)

“I am very happy and gratified by the Oscar nominations that ‘Amour’ has received today, and that the voting members of the Academy have taken the film so strongly to their hearts. It is fulfilling to discover that a film has found the audience and critical acclaim that ‘Amour’ has garnered. I have been very fortunate on both those fronts, but it is especially rewarding to discover that a film has found favor among one’s industry peers who know, in particular, the effort that goes into getting a film – any film – made.  I am also especially happy for all the people who made ‘Amour’ with me. It is a joyous occasion for us all. Many thanks.” — Michael Haneke, writer/director, “Amour” (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film)

“I am truly happy, touched, and honored to receive, today in New York, a nomination for the role of Anne in ‘Amour’ by Michael Haneke. For me,  it is an immense gift, at this stage of my life, to be chosen by my sisters and brothers, for what I do as an actress. I never thought, while working throughout the years in Europe and France, that one day, i would cross the Atlantic Ocean, come to the United States, and be nominated. It is quite surreal for me.  Shooting ‘Amour’ with Michael Haneke was a complete joy for me, as I felt an absolute trust in him and we were in complete synch. Michael is the very music of his own film.” — Emannuelle Riva, actress, “Amour” (Best Actress)

“I am of course very excited about the nomination this morning. Ben Affleck is an amazing director, and I am so happy that ‘Argo’ was recognized in seven  categories.” — Alan Arkin, actor, “Argo” (Best Supporting Actor)

“I am deeply honored and frankly a little overwhelmed by all of the nominations that Life of Pi has received this morning. So many talented people gave everything they had to this film, both in front of and behind the camera, and to see all of them receive this kind of recognition is something I am incredibly grateful for.” — Ang Lee, director, “Life of Pi” (Best Picture, Best Director)

“Frankenweenie is a very personal film for me.  The idea of telling a feature length version was in the back of my mind for many years. Stop Motion was the perfect medium for this project, and one I’ve always loved for its expressiveness and dimensionality.  I’ve worked with so many incredible artists: animators, cast members, set builders, and puppet makers, all who have helped bring this film to life one frame at a time. I’m so honored that the Academy has recognized this film as one of its nominees.” — Tim Burton, director, “Frankenweenie” (Best Animated Feature)

“We are incredibly honored by today’s Academy Award nomination. ‘Brave’ has been an adventure from the beginning – starting with our research trips to Scotland, the crew embarked upon a journey that inspired us all and forever changed our fates. Thanks to the Academy from all of us here at Pixar.” — Mark Andrews, Director, “Brave” (Best Animated Feature)

“I am blown away! I can’t say thank you enough to the Academy for their support of our films. We have a tremendous group of actors and film makers who we had the pleasure of working with this year and I am so happy that their achievements are being recognized.” — Harvey Weinstein, The Weinstein Co., “Django Unchained,” (Best Picture), “Silver Linings Playbook” (Best Picture)

The post How stars react when they’re nominated for Oscars appeared first on Metro.us.

“I don’t know why we don’t wait until noon to do this,” host Seth MacFarlane joked before inviting actress Emma Stone to join him to announce the nominees. “The only people up right now are either flying or having surgery.”

The nominations of course signal shifting into the most intense section of Awards Season, something not all the nominees are necessarily thrilled about. “It’s obviously exciting, it’s like getting a promotion at work,” Best Supporting Actress nominee Jennifer Lawrence told Metro on the eve of the Oscar nominations, adding that her parents were staying with her and planned to have her up at 4:30 a.m. “I just get anxiety over parties, and that’s what that means, essentially, to me, [being] surrounded by lots of people, and it just gives me anxiety just to think about it.”

BIGGEST WINNERS

“Lincoln” is the clear winner nomination-wise, with Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” close behind at 11 nods, while “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” which nabbed four high-profile nominations, and “Amour,” with five, had their profiles raised considerably. And the Academy’s love for David O. Russell is clear. Much like with his last film, “the Fighter,” his “Silver Linings Playbook” earned spots for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and every single acting category.

BIGGEST LOSERS

Kathryn Bigelow’s presumed Oscar juggernaut “Zero Dark Thirty” earned only five nods, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. Mark Boal and Jessica Chastain are still front-runners for writing and acting, but that’s about it. And a lack of surprises in the Best Supporting Actor category means our hopes of Javier Bardem being the first Bond villain nominated for an Oscar (for “Skyfall”) have been dashed. Leonardo DiCaprio was also snubbed, with his “Django Unchained” co-star Christoph Waltz edging him out. In the Best Foreign Language race, the exclusion of French mega-hit “the Intouchables” means it’s Michael Haneke’s race to lose.

BIGGEST SURPRISES

The Academy’s clear love for the indie “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and the foreign “Amour” elbowed out a surprising number of presumptive nominees, and nowhere more noticeably than the Best Director category. Many expected past winners Hooper and Bigelow on the list as well as a first-time nod for Affleck for “Argo.” And while “Beasts of the Southern Wild” has been a critic’s favorite since its Sundance debut, few expected director Benh Zeitlin to earn a mention.

METRO’S PREDICTIONS

Best Picture: “Lincoln”
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”

LIST OF NOMINEES:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”
Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables”
Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master”
Denzel Washington in “Flight”

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Alan Arkin in “Argo”
Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained”

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour”
Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts in “The Impossible”

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in “The Master”
Sally Field in “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables”
Helen Hunt in “The Sessions”
Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook”

Best animated feature film of the year

“Brave” Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
“Frankenweenie” Tim Burton
“ParaNorman” Sam Fell and Chris Butler
“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” Peter Lord
“Wreck-It Ralph” Rich Moore

Achievement in cinematography

“Anna Karenina” Seamus McGarvey
“Django Unchained” Robert Richardson
“Life of Pi” Claudio Miranda
“Lincoln” Janusz Kaminski
“Skyfall” Roger Deakins

Achievement in directing

“Amour” Michael Haneke
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Benh Zeitlin
“Life of Pi” Ang Lee
“Lincoln” Steven Spielberg
“Silver Linings Playbook” David O. Russell

Best documentary feature

“5 Broken Cameras”
Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
“The Gatekeepers”
Nominees to be determined
“How to Survive a Plague”
Nominees to be determined
“The Invisible War”
Nominees to be determined
“Searching for Sugar Man”
Nominees to be determined

Best foreign language film of the year

“Amour” Austria
“Kon-Tiki” Norway
“No” Chile
“A Royal Affair” Denmark
“War Witch” Canada

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Anna Karenina” Dario Marianelli
“Argo” Alexandre Desplat
“Life of Pi” Mychael Danna
“Lincoln” John Williams
“Skyfall” Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice”
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted”
Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from “Life of Pi”
Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
“Skyfall” from “Skyfall”
Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from “Les Misérables”
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Best motion picture of the year

“Amour” Nominees to be determined
“Argo” Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, Producers
“Django Unchained” Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers
“Les Misérables” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers
“Life of Pi” Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers
“Lincoln” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
“Silver Linings Playbook” Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
“Zero Dark Thirty” Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers

Achievement in visual effects

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
“Life of Pi”
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
“Marvel’s The Avengers”
Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
“Prometheus”
Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
“Snow White and the Huntsman”
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Adapted screenplay

“Argo” Screenplay by Chris Terrio
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
“Life of Pi” Screenplay by David Magee
“Lincoln” Screenplay by Tony Kushner
“Silver Linings Playbook” Screenplay by David O. Russell

Original screenplay

“Amour” Written by Michael Haneke
“Django Unchained” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“Flight” Written by John Gatins
“Moonrise Kingdom” Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
“Zero Dark Thirty” Written by Mark Boal

The post Your guide to key 2013 Oscar nominations appeared first on Metro.us.

Her awkward red carpet stance, in which she made sure her right leg was constantly on display through the slit in her black, velvet Atelier Versace gown, is a pose that has launched a thousand Internet memes, from a Twitter handle — @AngiesRightLeg — which is nearing 15,000 followers with tweets like, “You have to admit I’m one hell of a leg!” to a Tumblr account entitled “Angelina Jolie’ing,” where readers can upload photos of themselves showing off their ashy thighs.

There’s no reason for why she stood like that, time and time again. (My theory: Her bony leg was poking out to sniff around for a sandwich.) But perhaps the best mocking of the leg came from “The Descendants” co-writer Jim Rash, who hit the stage with Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon to accept the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The look was quickly imitated by Faxon, but the scribes insist they weren’t mocking the actress. “She’s supremely hot,” Faxon said backstage, while Rash was quick to explain his actions: “I just saw her pose and I thought, you know what, we have exactly the same legs,” the writer. “It was more like, ‘Oh, she’s standing, great, I’m going to stand like that, too.’”

Rash better watch it. No one mocks Angelina Jolie in front of her face and gets away with it. The last person who probably did that was Billy Bob Thornton, and we’re pretty sure he’s currently working at a Cracker Barrel in Parissapany, N.J.

Stylist: It wasn’t a nip slip!

Many eagle-eyed viewers were convinced they caught Jennifer Lopez having a wardrobe malfunction while presenting at the Oscars, but her stylist, Mariel Haenn, insists there was no nipple-baring. “The dress fit perfectly to her every inch. There were cups built in and there’s no chance that there were any, how do you say? ‘slips,’” Haenn posted on Twitter. “While the dress did give the illusion of sheer-ness, joke’s on everyone who wishes they saw something.”

Follow Dorothy Robinson on Twitter @DorothyatMetro

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Her awkward red carpet stance, in which she made sure her right leg was constantly on display through the slit in her black, velvet Atelier Versace gown, is a pose that has launched a thousand Internet memes, from a Twitter handle — @AngiesRightLeg — which is nearing 15,000 followers with tweets like, “You have to admit I’m one hell of a leg!” to a Tumblr account entitled “Angelina Jolie’ing,” where readers can upload photos of themselves showing off their ashy thighs.

There’s no reason for why she stood like that, time and time again. (My theory: Her bony leg was poking out to sniff around for a sandwich.) But perhaps the best mocking of the leg came from “The Descendants” co-writer Jim Rash, who hit the stage with Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon to accept the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The look was quickly imitated by Faxon, but the scribes insist they weren’t mocking the actress. “She’s supremely hot,” Faxon said backstage, while Rash was quick to explain his actions: “I just saw her pose and I thought, you know what, we have exactly the same legs,” the writer. “It was more like, ‘Oh, she’s standing, great, I’m going to stand like that, too.’”

Rash better watch it. No one mocks Angelina Jolie in front of her face and gets away with it. The last person who probably did that was Billy Bob Thornton, and we’re pretty sure he’s currently working at a Cracker Barrel in Parsippany, N.J.

Stylist: It wasn’t a nip slip!

Many eagle-eyed viewers were convinced they caught Jennifer Lopez having a wardrobe malfunction while presenting at the Oscars, but her stylist, Mariel Haenn, insists there was no nipple-baring. “The dress fit perfectly to her every inch. There were cups built in and there’s no chance that there were any, how do you say? ‘slips,’” Haenn posted on Twitter. “While the dress did give the illusion of sheer-ness, joke’s on everyone who wishes they saw something.”

Follow Dorothy Robinson on Twitter @DorothyatMetro

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While most might not think so, Anne Hathaway insists she can relate to a particularly troubled young starlet. “Lindsay Lohan and I have more in common that people think,” Hathaway tells the Sun. “We’ve all done things we shouldn’t. It is just that I did stuff at college when nobody knew about it, so I’m not a saint. I wasted time doing self-destructive things.” And exactly what sort of self-destructive things are we talking about here? “I found you can only dance on so many tabletops,” Hathaway says. “I got all that out of my system and I am healthy and grounded.”

Many eagle-eyed were convinced they caught Jennifer Lopez having a wardrobe malfunction while presenting at the Oscars, but her stylist, Mariel Haenn, insists there was no nipple-baring. “The dress fit perfectly to her every inch. There were cups built in and there’s no chance that there were any, how do you say? ‘Slips,’” Haenn posted on Twitter. “While the dress did give the illusion of sheer-ness, joke’s on everyone who wishes they saw something.”

Angelina Jolie’s much-buzzed-about Oscar moment — thrusting her bare leg out of her black dress —  was quickly imitated by “the Descendants” screenwriters Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, but the scribes insist they weren’t mocking the actress. “She’s supremely hot,” Faxon said backstage at the awards show, while Rash was quick to explain his actions: “I just saw her pose and I thought, you know what, we have exactly the same legs,” the “Community” star said. “It was more like, oh, she’s standing, great, I’m going to stand like that, too.”

Lucy Lawless was one of seven Greenpeace protesters arrested after a 77-hour protest aboard a Shell-owned oil-drilling ship, according to Us Weekly. “This chapter has ended, but the story of the battle to save the Arctic has just begun,” Lawless said in a statement. “We will continue to stand in solidarity with the communities and species that depend on the Arctic for their lives until Shell cancels its plans to drill in this magical world, and makes the switch to clean, sustainable energy.” The protesters were charged with burglary, though the environment organization insists no property was was taken or damaged.

Kevin Federline is determined to keep his two sons with Britney Spears grounded — even if it means working in fast food. “I’ll have them working at Micky D’s. That’s how we had to do it. I worked at a car wash. I worked at a pizza place. Things like that made me,” Federline tells Australia’s Herald Sun. “Sean and Jayden have missed out on so much of that with me and their mom being so busy all the time. Now we’ve both agreed that this is it, they are going to be at school and learn what it’s like to be part of society as normal kids.”

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But the evening was not without laughs — Crystal’s stale jokes notwithstanding. The principle cast of “Bridesmaids” managed to sneak in jokes about how “size matters,” Emma Stone gamely flirted with Jonah Hill from the stage and the Christopher Guest crew did a sketch about an imagined focus group for “The Wizard of Oz.”

Also entirely predictable were the wins for the biggest awards. Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer accepted their awards for best supporting actress and actor — both of whom were the predicted front-runners in their categories. And while Martin Scorsese’s 3-D film “Hugo” swept most of the technical awards, Michel Hazanavicius’ much-hyped, but little seen indie film “The Artist” took top honors for Best Original Score, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Picture.

Complete list of winners:

Achievement in cinematography: Robert Richardson, “Hugo”
Best Art direction: “Hugo”
Best Costume design:  Mark Bridges, “The Artist”
Best Make up: Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, “The Iron Lady”
Best Foreign Language: “A Separation”, Iran
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Best Film Editing: “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Achievement in Sound Editing: “Hugo”
Best Documentary: “Undefeated”
Best Animated Feature Film: “Rango”
Achievement Visual Effects: “Hugo”
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”
Best Music (Original Song): Bret McKenzie for ‘Man or Muppet,’ “The Muppets”
Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, “The Descendants”
Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Best Short Film (Live Action): Terry George and Oorlagh George, “The Shore.”
Best Documentary Short: “Saving Face”
Best Animated Short Film: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
Best Director:  Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Jean Dujardin for “The Artist”
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady”
Best Film: “The Artist”

Related:

Sacha Baron Cohen spills the ashes of Kim Jong-Il on Ryan Seacrest: the world applauds

White hot at the Oscars red carpet (PHOTOS)

Jennifer Lopez: Was that a nip slip at the Oscars?

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2. Michelle Williams kept it girly in a coral Louis Vuitton gown complete with ruffles, bow and peplum.

3. Who needs a body-hugging mermaid gown when you can look like an ethereal princess — and throw back all the Wolfgang Puck treats you want? Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen.

4. Viola Davis embraced her natural hair and, um, girls in this green Vera Wang gown.

5. We all knew Rooney Mara was saving her white moment for the Oscars. And she didn’t disappoint in stunning  Givenchy Haute Couture.

6. Early attendee Milla Jovovich kicked off the night with some old Hollywood glamour in an embellished white Elie Saab Haute Couture gown.

7. Octavia Spencer stayed true to Tadashi Shoji and shows us that women with curves don’t have to hide in black.

8. Gwyneth Paltrow’s sleek Tom Ford gown came with matching cape. Chic — and practical. Love it.

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The singer turned actress turned always-crying-American Idol host took the Academy Awards stage alongside Cameron Diaz to present the awards for Costume Design and Make Up.

Moments after her appearance, Twitter started buzzing, about a nip slip. After some close examination, especially from a picture posted on Twitter, we have concluded that it was in fact, well, a ‘wardrobe malfunction.’

@Jezebel J.Lo Nip! twitter.com/Curt_Cole/stat…

— Cole Weathers (@Curt_Cole) February 27, 2012

J.Lo is no stranger to revealing dresses. Hey, she has those curves, she might as well show them off, right? Wrong. We get it, J.Lo’s hot, but with that accidental slip, she brought down the level of classiness in that room. In a room full of well-dressed rich people, Lopez couldn’t seem to tame her girls. All we ask, J.Lo, is that wear a dress that fits.

If Ryan Seacrest can have his fancy suit covered in ‘ashes’ by Sacha Baron Cohen then you, J.Lo, can wear a bra.

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Baron Cohen cued up to have a quick chit-chat with Seacrest, who had been dazzling E!’s audience all night with sparkling insights on designer gowns. Baron Cohen, as the Dictator said he was wearing a suit by John Galliano and socks from KMart because, “as Saddam Hussein once said to me, socks are socks, don’t waste money.”

Bearing an urn with the face of Kim Jong-Il, he said he brought the deceased leader’s ashes to the Oscars red carpet because “it was his dream to come to the Oscars and be sprinkled on the red carpet and on Halle Berry’s chest, again.” He then leaned in and spilled the contents onto Ryan Seacrest’s suit. Poor Ryan stared sadly at his suit, not believing what had just happened. For the following four interviews all he could talk about was the “Bisquick” that Sacha Baron Cohen had just spilled on him. Tina Fey, Emma Stone, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith just had to sympathize.
 

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His “Jack and Jill” co-stars, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino, each received a Worst Supporting Actress and Actor nomination for their work in the film, respectively. Way to bring down Pacino, Sandler.

It’s time for Sandler to pick up a copy of the 1998 edition of “Stop with the Fart Jokes: Transform Your Career and Become an Oscar Winner in No Time” by Tom Hanks. Soon, he’ll be starring in “Punch Drunk Love II: Still Drankin’,” where he and Emily Watson end up adopting a middle-aged deaf, mute and blind train hobo who teaches them the true meaning of life.

Worst film noms:
   
“Jack and Jill”
“Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star” (Sandler also co-wrote)
“New Year’s Eve”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1”

Follow Dorothy Robinson on Twitter @Dorothyatmetro

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