W4F Tweets the Oscars!

Didn’t get a chance to see the Oscars this year?  Or maybe you watched the Oscars but missed our Wired4Film Oscar Twitter Feed?  Or maybe you TiVo’d the Oscars while at the same time wishing there were some sort of Director’s commentary to go along with the show!  Well, Filmmakers, your wish is our command!

We Tweet’d the Academy Awards this year and re-assembled all that hard work and colorful commentary in all of its raw and undigested fervor right here for your viewing pleasure!  A minute-by-minute, play-by-play for  the 82nd Annual Academy Awards…

The W4F Oscar Tweet-fest

Tweeting the Oscars….but from the couch…not the Kodak theater…Boo! 18 mins to go.
8:11 PM Mar 7th

Clooney needs a haircut….or some hair gel that holds up under rainy/humid conditions. Gyllenhall bro&sis look great! #Red Carpet
8:14 PM Mar 7th

No old blue jeans for Miley…no botox either….good for u! Bucking the system!
8:23 PM Mar 7th

Tina Fey & Steve Carr need to be a real life couple…too cute! They could have a whole batch of little NBC kids and sitcoms!
8:25 PM Mar 7th

The Streep v The Bullock….it’s goin down tonight…the chanel’s gonna hit the fan! #RedCarpet
8:26 PM Mar 7th

Red carpet over…on to the show…still miss Billy Crystal’s opens….and the oscar goes to… #RedCarpet
8:30 PM Mar 7th

“The moment you’ve all been waiting for…?” Being spoonfed a Chargrill shake by Kate Beckinsale? Oh…the opening #…I see…#oscar
8:34 PM Mar 7th

So Doogie is the new Jackman who was the new Billy Crystal. Got it #Oscars
8:34 PM Mar 7th

Coming soon to ElectronicArts: “Precious: The Video Game” RT: Steve Martin #Oscars
8:40 PM Mar 7th

RT@boxofficemojo: Alec Baldwin has only starred in one $100M movie prior to ‘It’s Complicated:’ ‘The Hunt for Red October’ in 1990: http://bit.ly/cfplH8
8:43 PM Mar 7th

Reeeeeally need to see “Invictus”…and “Up In the Air”….and “Hot Tub Time Machine”…but “Invictus” first. #Oscars
8:46 PM Mar 7th

Actor in a supporting role: Kristoff Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)
8:48 PM Mar 7th

RT @boxofficemojo: ‘The Blind Side’ crossed the $250 million mark yesterday, its 107th day of release…http://bit.ly/ctvCpN
8:51 PM Mar 7th

Best Animated Feature film: Up….Pixar…who knew? #Oscars
8:59 PM Mar 7th

One guy on stage for ‘Up’? Shouldn’t there be like 800 people up there? #Oscars
8:59 PM Mar 7th

For those keeping score…that’s Shiney Silver Dresses: 6 #Oscars
9:01 PM Mar 7th

My facebook peeps that are getting auto-updated each tweet think I’ve gone CRAZY with the typing and the updating and the sending…
9:03 PM Mar 7th

Best Song: Ryan Bigham and T-Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart)…over Randy Newman? The world has gone mad? #Oscars
9:05 PM Mar 7th

Shout out to District 9…awesome pic…amazing effects….lot of secrets in District 9 #Oscars
9:06 PM Mar 7th

Robert Downey Jr and Tina Fey…I totally wanna write that movie too!!! #Oscars
9:12 PM Mar 7th

Best Original Screenplay: Mark Bowl (Hurt Locker)…right on! #Oscars
9:15 PM Mar 7th

RT @boxofficemojo: Original Screenplay nominated movies had an average gross of $87.7M. http://bit.ly/9Usltr
9:15 PM Mar 7th

My doppelganger has for the longest time been “Ferris Beuhler’s Friend”…Cameron…
9:19 PM Mar 7th

Oscars 80s flashback! Ack! I don’t want my member’s only jacket anymore! #Oscars
9:21 PM Mar 7th

RT @KatzMoney: Hurt Locker screenplay win suggests Best Picture as well.
9:19 PM Mar 7th

W4F Oscar Tweet Feed will be cut reeeeeeal short if person I’m borrowing wireless from shuts off their ‘puter. #Oscar
9:27 PM Mar 7th

Best Animated Short: Nicolas Schmerkin…3000 unofficial sponsors! Funneh. #Oscars
9:32 PM Mar 7th

Best Documentary Short: Music By Prudence #Oscars
9:34 PM Mar 7th

RT@jonmckee: “The tools never make a great film, Its what you do with the tools. Telling a great story, entertaining the audience. ” – John Lasseter
9:33 PM Mar 7th

Live Action Short: The New Tenants #Oscars
9:36 PM Mar 7th

Hahahahaha…Ben Stiller…dressed like an Avatar! #Oscars
9:38 PM Mar 7th

Best Makeup: Star Trek! Spock’s ears get an Oscar. #Oscars
9:42 PM Mar 7th

RT@bittespuhlen: “When you’re a man sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room…just for fun.” – Nacho
9:42 PM Mar 7th

RT@THR: Up next — Best Adapted Screenplay – An Education, In the Loop, Precious, Up In the Air or District 9?
9:45 PM Mar 7th

Who is your “Hollywood Spouse?”….mine is most definitely Rachel McAdams. Lurv her.
9:49 PM Mar 7th

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jeffrey Fletcher for Precious! #Oscars
9:50 PM Mar 7th

…only they should announce it like Gollum…like, my “preciousssssssss” #Oscars
9:51 PM Mar 7th

RT@boxofficemojo: Precious has grossed $47.4 million, middle of the pack among Adapted Screenplay noms. http://bit.ly/cNUYlI
9:51 PM Mar 7th

Lauren Bacall…you know how to whistle don’t you? #Oscars
9:55 PM Mar 7th

Roger Corman is credited with launching sooooo many Hollywood director careers! #Oscars
9:55 PM Mar 7th

Robin Williams is my co-Star from “Patch Adams”…well co-star is a strong word…I definitely graduated two peeps behind him in the film
9:57 PM Mar 7th

Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo’Nique (Precious) ….2nd Precious Win…or “my precioussssssss”…. #Oscars
9:59 PM Mar 7th

Mo’Nique gives a shout-out to Tyler Perry…this is as close as a faith-based film as we’ve got at the Oscars, peeps. #Oscars
10:01 PM Mar 7th

Director John Hughes has quite an impressive resume on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000455/
10:05 PM Mar 7th

RT@terracecrawford: “It can be about the performance and not the politics.” – Monique Rocks! (via @nealcampbell) // i agree. that was a great performance.
10:04 PM Mar 7th

Art Direction: Avatar…given by Sigourney Na’vi Weaver #Oscars
10:07 PM Mar 7th

Hope my film students are watching this to see all the OTHER PEOPLE needed to make a film. 10% inspiration….90% perspiration. #Oscars
10:08 PM Mar 7th

Costume Design: The Young Victoria, Sandy Powell…also for Shakespeare in Love and The Aviator….oh she’s gooooooood! #Oscars
10:11 PM Mar 7th

RunPee.Com says best time to go to bathroom is NOW!! During commercial!! #Oscars
10:14 PM Mar 7th

Needs a whiplash warning before we go from National TV to a local car commercial….uuuuurch! My neck! Blah!
10:16 PM Mar 7th

Emo Twilight Kids….so somber…. #Oscars
10:19 PM Mar 7th

RT@kemmeyer: Ima gonna sleep with the lights on after horror tribute @ the #oscars
10:21 PM Mar 7th

Horror montage keeps going and going and going……. #oscars
10:22 PM Mar 7th

Excellent…an education in sound editing…wake up film students…work, I tell ya…movies = work! #Oscars
10:23 PM Mar 7th

Best Sound Editing: Paul N.J. Ottosson (sp?) Hurt Locker #Oscars
10:26 PM Mar 7th

Best Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker…Cameron’s ex-wife scores another statue #Oscars
10:27 PM Mar 7th

Early odds are that Hurt Locker is winning best picture #Oscars
10:28 PM Mar 7th

And the technical awards for a bunch of people we lumped into a giant category for super grain nano technology #Oscars
10:29 PM Mar 7th

Recap: 8 Silver dresses, 5 cutaways to unsmiling Clooney, 3 Hurt Locker Awards, 2 for my Preciousssssss… #Oscars
10:31 PM Mar 7th

Best Cinematography: Mauro Fiore for Avatar…2nd tonite #Oscars
10:36 PM Mar 7th

Demi looked fabu…not like Madonna with her “gollum arms” #Oscars
10:39 PM Mar 7th

Apparently Brittany Murphy died of ‘natural causes’ on Dec 20, 2009…did not know that… #Oscars
10:44 PM Mar 7th

Totally don’t remember that dance scene in “Hurt Locker”…. #Oscars
10:48 PM Mar 7th

RT@human3rror: “The people at the very top don’t work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.” – Malcom Gladwell
10:47 PM Mar 7th

Best Original Score: Michael Giachinno (sp?) “Up” #oscars
10:52 PM Mar 7th

“If you wanna be creative, go do it…it’s not a waste of time” Michael Giachinno #Oscars
10:54 PM Mar 7th

Best Visual Effects: Avatar!! $300M here, $300M there, pretty soon you can buy yourself some decent effects! #Oscars
10:55 PM Mar 7th

RT@THR: Avatar 3, The Hurt Locker 3, Precious 2
10:56 PM Mar 7th

Best Documentary Feature Presenter: Matt Damon….he just rocks okay! It’s not a man-crush. He’s just cool! #Oscar
11:02 PM Mar 7th

Best Documentary Feature: The Cove #Oscars
11:04 PM Mar 7th

Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker ? Hmmm. Not seeing it. #Oscars
11:08 PM Mar 7th

Editors is crazier than writers and composers. #Oscars
11:08 PM Mar 7th

RT@druckenmiller: http://twitpic.com/17aqep – Winners “bag” at Oscar party, those BNC cables? Ehh bunch a production folk..
11:12 PM Mar 7th

Best Foreign Language Film: uhhhh…the secret du rosas…or sus ojos…errrr something foreign….so glad Na’vi doesn’t count #Oscars
11:18 PM Mar 7th

RT@THR: Next up Best Actor– Firth, Bridges, Freeman, Renner or Clooney?
11:18 PM Mar 7th

Not worried about Avatar…Cameron’s crying all the way to the bank. #Oscar
11:24 PM Mar 7th

What’s with the Best Actor campaign speeches? They’ve already voted…let’s see who’s got it… #Oscars
11:28 PM Mar 7th

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges “Crazy Heart” 1st Acad Award, 5th Nom #Oscar
11:33 PM Mar 7th

RT@DaveGrumme: Congratulations Jeff Bridges – 75 films and counting.
11:34 PM Mar 7th

RT @timastevens: I respect celebrities who have stayed married. Way to go Jeff Bridges for your Oscar–but more for 33 yrs of marriage.
11:39 PM Mar 7th

boxofficemojo The Best Actress category had a better box office showing than Best Actor: $408.8M vs. $173.1M http://bit.ly/9Usltr
11:45 PM Mar 7th

Best Actress: Wow! Sandy B! Blindside! #Oscars
11:49 PM Mar 7th

RT@boxofficemojo: Blind Side is Sandra Bullock’s highest-grossing movie at over $250M, folloed by another 2009 release, The Proposal: http://bit.ly/a4r2An
11:50 PM Mar 7th

Best Director: Katherine Bigelow “Hurt Locker” – first female academy award ever in this category #Oscar
11:55 PM Mar 7th

Oscar Subtext = Suck it Tarantino! #Oscars
11:58 PM Mar 7th

Best Motion Picture: The HURT LOCKERRRRRRRRRR…with little fanfare and buildup by Tom Hanks #Oscars
11:59 PM Mar 7th

Alrighty then….go back to work tomorrow….finish those films, people! Got some work to do!
12:03 AM Mar 8th

For Official Oscar Night Winner Info and to View Acceptance Speeches click here.

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Studios wary of Oscar’s new best-picture rule

A Hollywood Reporter story by Elizabeth Guider about a recent shift in the Academy’s Best Picture rules which increases the category from 5 nominations, up to 10 nominations.  And the aftershocks of that news throughout Hollywood.

(EXCERPT)  If ever there were a time that the town needed a jolt of adrenaline, Wednesday was it — but from, of all places, the staid, mostly predictable Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences?

What everyone thought would be another sleepy announcement about an arcane rule change in the documentary or foreign language category turned into the headline of the day — opening up the Oscar race to 10 best picture nominees.

The rationale is not that hard to fathom: The awards telecast has been dwindling in the ratings for a decade; at the same time, folks have been carping about the tilt of the noms — too arty, too downbeat, too too — or the exclusion of comedies or the relegation of animation to its own category. Some had even hazarded aloud that, of all things, the Golden Globes were the guys with the right idea, even if their 10 best pic noms are bifurcated by genre.

So with one masterstroke, all the goal posts have been shifted.

Most folks were gobsmacked by the news, with many — think all those filmmakers who believe their films have been snubbed — applauding the stratagem. As for wannabe Oscar consultants, now is the time to hang out that shingle.

“I think (Academy president) Sid Ganis has a great marketing mind and that this is a brilliant move,” media consultant Michael Levine said. “After all, the biggest sin these days is irrelevance, and whether the expansion ultimately resonates with the public or not, the move will get a lot of attention. Sometimes you just have to do something bold to re-energize a classic brand.”

But from a different perspective, longtime Oscar maven Tony Angellotti, who now consults for Universal and Disney Animation, thinks the move could well dilute “both the quality and the impact of the award. I would imagine the studios are grieving over this. They’ll have to spend more money and not likely see a return — just what they don’t need in a recession.”

Check out the full article at Yahoo!News

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Oscar Winners: 2009

The Academy Awards.  Why should we care?  For one, you KNOW you’ve written and re-written your own speech at least a couple dozen times.  And it’s not about us, oh no, it’s about Him!  ”Lord, if MY film could win an Oscar, think of the platform YOU would have to show YOUR glory!”

Riiiiiiight.  I think He’s on to us.

Meanwhile, each year Independents like “Slumdog Millionaire” slug it out with Studio biggies like “The Dark Knight”.  Only, let’s be honest, “The Dark Knight” is far from your typical studio big box office summer tent pole extravaganza.  It actually had a pretty amazing script for ANY film, not just a Comic book movie.  And it had some great acting (thank you, Heath).  And on top of that, the Batcar turned into a flippin’ bat-cycle on steroids.  But I digress.

Anyway, if you call yourself a filmmaker, study to show yourself approved.  Meaning what?  Meaning this: know at least a little about what’s out on the market, what’s drawing the audiences and what’s drawing the awards.  If a film has captured the entire Industry’s attention, it’s probably worth a look-see.  

And the Oscar goes to……..

*”’BEST PICTURE”’ 

*[___] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”Frost/Nixon” 
*[___] ”Milk” 
*[___] ”The Reader” 
*[****] ”Slumdog Millionaire” 

*”’DIRECTOR”’ 
*[___] David Fincher, ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] Ron Howard, ”Frost/Nixon” 
*[___] Gus Van Sant, ”Milk” 
*[___] Stephen Daldry, ”The Reader” 
*[****] Danny Boyle, ”Slumdog Millionaire” 

*”’ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY”’ 
*[___] ”Frozen River” 
*[___] ”Happy-Go-Lucky” 
*[___] ”In Bruges 
*[****] ”Milk” 
*[___] ”Wall-E” 

*”’ADAPTED SCREENPLAY”’ 
*[___] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”Doubt” 
*[___] ”Frost/Nixon” 
*[___] ”The Reader” 
*[****] ”Slumdog Millionaire” 

*”’ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE”’ 
*[___] Richard Jenkins, ”The Visitor” 
*[___] Frank Langella, ”Frost/Nixon” 
*[****] Sean Penn, ”Milk” 
*[___] Brad Pitt, ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] Mickey Rourke, ”The Wrestler” 

*”’ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE”’ 
*[___] Anne Hathaway, ”Rachel Getting Married” 
*[___] Angelina Jolie, ”The Changeling” 
*[___] Melissa Leo, ”Frozen River” 
*[___] Meryl Streep, ”Doubt” 
*[****] Kate Winslet, ”The Reader” 

*”’ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE”’ 
*[___] Josh Brolin, ”Milk” 
*[___] Robert Downey Jr., ”Tropic Thunder” 
*[___] Philip Seymour Hoffman, ”Doubt” 
*[****] Heath Ledger, ”The Dark Knight” 
*[___] Michael Shannon, ”Revolutionary Road” 

*”’ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE”’ 
*[___] Amy Adams, ”Doubt” 
*[****] Penelope Cruz, ”Vicky Cristina Barcelona” 
*[___] Viola Davis, ”Doubt” 
*[___] Marisa Tomei,”The Wrestler” 
*[___] Taraji Henson, ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 

*”’FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM”’ 
*[___] ”The Baader Meinhof Complex”, Germany 
*[___] ”The Class”, France 
*[****] ”Departures”, Japan 
*[___] ”Revanche”, Austria 
*[___] ”Waltz with Bashir”, Israel 

*”’ANIMATED FEATURE”’ 
*[___] ”Bolt” 
*[****] ”Wall-E” 
*[___] ”Kung Fu Panda” 

*”’DOCUMENTARY FEATURE”’ 
*[___] ”The Betrayal” 
*[___] ”Encounters at the End of the World” 
*[___] ”The Garden” 
*[****] ”Man on Wire” 
*[___] ”Trouble the Water” 

*”’SHORT FILM – ANIMATED”’ 
*[****] ”La Maison En Petits Cubes” 
*[___] ”Lavatory Lovestory” 
*[___] ”Oktapodi” 
*[___] ”Presto” 
*[___] ”This Way Up” 

*”’SHORT FILM – LIVE ACTION”’ 
*[___] ”On The Line” 
*[___] ”Manon on the Asphalt” 
*[___] ”New Boy” 
*[___] ”The Pig” 
*[****] ”Toyland” 

*”’DOCUMENTARY SHORT”’ 
*[___] ”The Conscience of Nhem En” 
*[___] ”The Final Inch” 
*[****] ”Smile Pinki” 
*[___] ”The Witness From the Balcony of Room 306” 

*”’ORIGINAL SCORE”’ 
*[___] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”Defiance” 
*[___] ”Milk” 
*[****] ”Slumdog Millionaire” 
*[___] ”Wall-E” 

*”’ORIGINAL SONG”’ 
*[___] “Down to Earth“, ”Wall-E” 
*[****] “Jai Ho“, ”Slumdog Millionaire” 
*[___] “O Saya“, ”Slumdog Millionaire” 

*”’ART DIRECTION”’ 
*[___] ”Changeling” 
*[****] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”The Dark Knight” 
*[___] ”The Duchess” 
*[___] ”Revolutionary Road” 

*”’CINEMATOGRAPHY”’ 
*[___] ”Changeling” 
*[___] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”The Dark Knight” 
*[___] ”The Reader” 
*[****] ”Slumdog Millionaire” 

*”’COSTUME DESIGN”’ 
*[___] ”Australia” 
*[___] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[****] ”The Duchess” 
*[___] ”Milk” 
*[___] ”Revolutionary Road” 

*”’MAKEUP”’ 
*[****] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”The Dark Knight” 
*[___] ”Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” 

*”’SOUND MIXING”’ 
*[___] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”The Dark Knight” 
*[****] ”Slumdog Millionaire” 
*[___] ”Wall-E” 
*[___] ”Wanted” 

*”’SOUND EDITING”’ 
*[****] ”The Dark Knight” 
*[___] ”Iron Man” 
*[___] ”Slumdog Millionaire” 
*[___] ”Wall-E” 
*[___] ”Wanted” 

*”’VISUAL EFFECTS”’ 
*[****] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”The Dark Knight” 
*[___] ”Iron Man” 

*”’FILM EDITING”’ 
*[___] ”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” 
*[___] ”The Dark Knight” 
*[___] ”Frost/Nixon” 
*[___] ”Milk” 
*[****] ”Slumdog Millionaire”

A “Slumdog” Kind of Night

This article was written by ChristianCinema.com staff-writer Angela Walker.  It may be read in full HERE.

(EXCERPT) The 81st Academy® Awards show celebrated a different kind of film last night.Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight awards, was based on a novel by an Indian writer, filmed in Mumbai, India, and included an Indian cast. This film, originally destined for a straight-to-DVD release in the United States, took the country by storm when Fox Searchlight Pictures picked it up and took a chance on a theatrical release.

Someone at Warner Brothers Pictures is probably either jobless or very close to it today, as their specialty film division Warner Independent Pictures (which was closed down) was the original distributor for this sneak success. Slumdog Millionaire was produced by a British company (Celador Films) and co-financed by a French distributor.

Fox Searchlight is building its reputation for distributing the daring type of film that most studios are avoiding, and that Slumdog Millionaire represents. Opening the second weekend of November in only 10 theaters, the movie averaged $36,000 per theater that first weekend. Then in a wider release (614 theaters) the day after Christmas, the film brought in $4.3 million. To date, the box office total internationally is $159.6 million, or 10 times the reported production budget of $15 million.