85th Academy Awards

Just under 8 hours to go to the 85th Academy Awards, and the Dobly Theatre is a hive of activity.

 

Preparations for the governers ball.
Preparations for the governers ball.

History

The Academy

The Academy is an artist-driven organization that advances the art and science of motion pictures. The Academy’s mission is to preserve the past, honor the present, and shape the future of film. It is composed of more than 6,000 members who are distinguished by their achievements in the movie industry.

The Academy is an artist-driven organization that advances the art and science of motion pictures. The Academy’s mission is to preserve the past, honor the present, and shape the future of film. It is composed of more than 6,000 members who are distinguished by their achievements in the movie industry.

The Award

Shortly after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was incorporated in 1927, a dinner was held in the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles to discuss the goals of the new organization. One of those goals was devising a method to honor outstanding achievements, thus encouraging higher levels of quality in all facets of motion picture production.

Once the decision had been made to institute an award, a major item of business was the creation of a trophy to symbolize film achievement. MGM art director Cedric Gibbons designed the statuette and Los Angeles sculptor George Stanley was selected to bring to three-dimensional form the figure of a knight standing on a reel of film, hands gripping a sword. The Academy’s world-renowned statuette was born.

Since the initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929, in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Room, 2,856 statuettes have been presented. Each January, additional new golden statuettes are cast, molded, polished and buffed by R.S. Owens & Company, the Chicago-based awards specialty company retained by the Academy since 1982.

“Each Oscar statuette is individually handcrafted,” says Scott Siegel, president of R.S. Owens. “This statuette is only a tiny portion of our overall business, but it makes us known all around the world. No other award is as universally recognized as the Oscar, and we treat it with the extra-special tender loving care that it deserves. We are extremely proud that the Academy has entrusted its manufacture to us.”

The Oscar statuette is the most recognized award in the world. Its success as a symbol of achievement in filmmaking would doubtless amaze those who attended that dinner more than 80 years ago, as well as its designer, Cedric Gibbons.

It stands today, as it has since 1929, without peer, on the mantels of the greatest filmmakers in history.

The Hosts

Seth MacFarlane will be hosting this year, with a long list of presenters:

  • Jack Nicholson
  • Dustin Hoffman
  • Kristen Stewart
  • Jane Fonda
  • Jennifer Garner
  • Kerry Washington
  • Michael Douglas
  • Jamie Foxx
  • Paul Rudd
  • Salma Hayek Pinault
  • Melissa Mccarthy
  • Liam Neeson
  • John Travolta
  • Ben Affleck
  • Jessica Chastain
  • Jennifer Lawrence
  • Halle Berry
  • Sandra Bullock
  • Nicole Kidman
  • Reese Witherspoon
  • The cast of Chicago — Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah
  • Charlize Theron (making a “special appearance”)
  • Channing Tatum (making a “special appearance”)
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt (making a “special appearance”)
  • Daniel Radcliffe (making a “special appearance”)
  • Marvel’s The Avengers cast mates Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo
  • Meryl Streep
  • Jean Dujardin
  • Octavia Spencer
  • Christopher Plummer
  • Mark Wahlberg and his teddy bear co-star Ted
Mark Wahlberg and his teddy bear co-star “Ted” © Universal Pictures
Mark Wahlberg and his teddy bear co-star “Ted”
© Universal Pictures

The Nominees

The nomiations for the 85th Academy Awards were made on January 10 by host Seth MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone.

Best motion picture of the year:

“Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Les Films du Losange/X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film Production
Nominees to be determined

“Argo” (Warner Bros.)
A Stage 16 Pictures Production
Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight)
A Cinereach and Court 13 Production
Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, Producers

“Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)
A Weinstein Company and Columbia Pictures Production
Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers

“Les Misérables” (Universal)
A Universal Pictures and Working Title Production
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers

“Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox)
A Fox 2000 Pictures Production
Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers

“Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox)
A DreamWorks Pictures/20th Century Fox Production
Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

“Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)
A Weinstein Company Production
Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers

“Zero Dark Thirty” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Columbia Pictures Production
Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers

Best animated feature film of the year:

“Brave” (Walt Disney)
Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

“Frankenweenie” (Walt Disney)
Tim Burton

“ParaNorman” (Focus Features)
Sam Fell and Chris Butler

“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Peter Lord

“Wreck-It Ralph” (Walt Disney)
Rich Moore

Performance by an actor in a leading role:

Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)

Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox)

Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables” (Universal)

Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master” (The Weinstein Company)

Denzel Washington in “Flight” (Paramount)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:

Alan Arkin in “Argo” (Warner Bros.)

Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)

Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master” (The Weinstein Company)

Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox)

Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role:

Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)

Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight)

Naomi Watts in “The Impossible” (Summit Entertainment and Mediaset España)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:

Amy Adams in “The Master” (The Weinstein Company)

Sally Field in “Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox)

Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables” (Universal)

Helen Hunt in “The Sessions” (Fox Searchlight)

Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)

Achievement in directing:

“Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics), Michael Haneke

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight), Benh Zeitlin

“Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox), Ang Lee

“Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox), Steven Spielberg

“Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company), David O. Russell

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score):

“Anna Karenina” (Focus Features), Dario Marianelli

“Argo” (Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat

“Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox), Mychael Danna

“Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox), John Williams

“Skyfall” (Sony Pictures Releasing and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song):

“Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice” (Submarine Deluxe), J. Ralph

“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted” (Universal), Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane

“Pi’s Lullaby” from “Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox), Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri

“Skyfall” from “Skyfall” (Sony Pictures Releasing and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

“Suddenly” from “Les Misérables” (Universal), Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Adapted screenplay:

“Argo” (Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Chris Terrio

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin

“Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox), Screenplay by David Magee

“Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox), Screenplay by Tony Kushner

“Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David O. Russell

Original screenplay:

“Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Michael Haneke

“Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company), Written by Quentin Tarantino

“Flight” (Paramount), Written by John Gatins

“MoonriseKingdom” (Focus Features), Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola

“Zero Dark Thirty” (Sony Pictures Releasing), Written by Mark Boal

Best foreign language film of the year:

“Amour” Austria

“Kon-Tiki” Norway

“No” Chile

“A Royal Affair” Denmark

“War Witch” Canada

Nominees for the 85th Academy Awards Row 1 (L-R): Sam Fell, Rich Moore, Dan Hennah, Seamus McGarvey, Sari Gilman, Paco Delgado, Jacki Weaver, Donna Gigliotti, Ethan Van der Ryn, Pilar Savone, Quvenzhane Wallis, Bradley Cooper, Naomi Watts, Joanna Johnston, Paul N.J. Ottoson, Janusz Kaminski, David Womark, Jedd Wider, Karen Baker Landers, Malik Bendjelloul, David O. Russell Row 2: Gil Netter, Michael Kahn, David Gopman, Ronald Judkins, Philip Brennan, Chris Butler, David Clayton, Debra Hayward, Tim Squyres, Brenda Chapman, J Ralph, DM Hemphill, PES, Guillaume Rocheron, Jon Alpert, Ron Bartlett, Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly, Jim Erickson, Sam French, Michael Dawson Row 3: Nikolaj Arcel, Megan Ellison, Claudio Miranda, Scott Millan, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Tammi Lane, Sean Fine, Rick Carter, Dan Janvey, Erik Aadahl, Dan Sudick, Andy Nelson, Hugh Jackman, Jessica Chastain, Roman Coppola, Drew Kunin, Robin Honan, Mino Jarjoura, David Silverman, Tom Van Avermaet, Mychael Danna, Mark Paterson, David Magee, Reginald Hudlin, Helen Hunt, Steven Spielberg. Row 4: Joachim Ronning, Howard Gertler, Walter Murphy, Yan England, Eric Saindon, Ariel Nasr, Martin Hill, Andrea Nix Fine, Ellen De Waele, Benh Zeitlin, Jeff White, Josh Penn, David France, Mark Boal, Espen Sandberg, Timothy Reckart, Richard Stammers, John Kahrs, Wylie Stateman, Cori Shepherd Stern, Mink Yu Lee, Matthew O'Neill, Janek Sirrs, Philip Stockton, Alexandre Desplat, Crispin Struthers, Kathryn Bigelow, Robert De Niro. Row 5: Peter Montagna, Eugene Gearty, John Reitz, Dylan Tichenor, Eric Fellner, Jonathan Gordon, Kirby Dick, Tim Burton, Amy Adams, Per Hallberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Sally Field, Lucy Alibar, Eve Stewart, Guy Williams, Anne Hathaway, Neil Corbould, Mark Andrews, Michael Gottwald, Shawn Christensen, Donald Elliot, Jose Antonio Garcia, Ra Vincent, Brian Buckley, Guy Davidi, Kief Davidson, Katie Spencer, R. Christopher White, Kim Nguyen, Martin Samuel. Row 6: Erik-Jan De Boer, Dror Moreh, Tony Kushner, William Goldenberg, Bill Westenhofer, George Stevens Jr., Stacey Sher, Sarah Greenwood, Ben Affleck, John Gatins, Howard Berger, Colleen Atwood, Denzel Washington, Kathleen Kennedy, Jay Cassidy, Ang Lee, Thomas Newman, Jennifer Lawrence, Cynthia Wade, Alain Boublil, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Joe Letteri, Bruce Cohen, Christoph Waltz, Amy Ziering, Tommy Lee Jones, Hal Needham, Greg P. Russell, Emad Burnat, Gregg Rudloff, Simon Bright. Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.
Nominees for the 85th Academy Awards
Row 1 (L-R): Sam Fell, Rich Moore, Dan Hennah, Seamus McGarvey, Sari Gilman, Paco Delgado, Jacki Weaver, Donna Gigliotti, Ethan Van der Ryn, Pilar Savone, Quvenzhane Wallis, Bradley Cooper, Naomi Watts, Joanna Johnston, Paul N.J. Ottoson, Janusz Kaminski, David Womark, Jedd Wider, Karen Baker Landers, Malik Bendjelloul, David O. Russell
Row 2: Gil Netter, Michael Kahn, David Gopman, Ronald Judkins, Philip Brennan, Chris Butler, David Clayton, Debra Hayward, Tim Squyres, Brenda Chapman, J Ralph, DM Hemphill, PES, Guillaume Rocheron, Jon Alpert, Ron Bartlett, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Jim Erickson, Sam French, Michael Dawson
Row 3: Nikolaj Arcel, Megan Ellison, Claudio Miranda, Scott Millan, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Tammi Lane, Sean Fine, Rick Carter, Dan Janvey, Erik Aadahl, Dan Sudick, Andy Nelson, Hugh Jackman, Jessica Chastain, Roman Coppola, Drew Kunin, Robin Honan, Mino Jarjoura, David Silverman, Tom Van Avermaet, Mychael Danna, Mark Paterson, David Magee, Reginald Hudlin, Helen Hunt, Steven Spielberg.
Row 4: Joachim Ronning, Howard Gertler, Walter Murphy, Yan England, Eric Saindon, Ariel Nasr, Martin Hill, Andrea Nix Fine, Ellen De Waele, Benh Zeitlin, Jeff White, Josh Penn, David France, Mark Boal, Espen Sandberg, Timothy Reckart, Richard Stammers, John Kahrs, Wylie Stateman, Cori Shepherd Stern, Mink Yu Lee, Matthew O’Neill, Janek Sirrs, Philip Stockton, Alexandre Desplat, Crispin Struthers, Kathryn Bigelow, Robert De Niro.
Row 5: Peter Montagna, Eugene Gearty, John Reitz, Dylan Tichenor, Eric Fellner, Jonathan Gordon, Kirby Dick, Tim Burton, Amy Adams, Per Hallberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Sally Field, Lucy Alibar, Eve Stewart, Guy Williams, Anne Hathaway, Neil Corbould, Mark Andrews, Michael Gottwald, Shawn Christensen, Donald Elliot, Jose Antonio Garcia, Ra Vincent, Brian Buckley, Guy Davidi, Kief Davidson, Katie Spencer, R. Christopher White, Kim Nguyen, Martin Samuel.
Row 6: Erik-Jan De Boer, Dror Moreh, Tony Kushner, William Goldenberg, Bill Westenhofer, George Stevens Jr., Stacey Sher, Sarah Greenwood, Ben Affleck, John Gatins, Howard Berger, Colleen Atwood, Denzel Washington, Kathleen Kennedy, Jay Cassidy, Ang Lee, Thomas Newman, Jennifer Lawrence, Cynthia Wade, Alain Boublil, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Joe Letteri, Bruce Cohen, Christoph Waltz, Amy Ziering, Tommy Lee Jones, Hal Needham, Greg P. Russell, Emad Burnat, Gregg Rudloff, Simon Bright.
Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

 

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb

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