Halle Berry made history back in 2002 when she won the best actress Oscar for her acclaimed role in Monster’s Ball – but, 15 years later, she has said that it has “meant nothing” for wider diversity in the movie industry.

She is still the only black woman to have scooped the main award for female actors at the Academy Awards, and during a new interview with Teen Vogue magazine, she recalled that when the nominations for the 2015 Oscars were announced, she was “profoundly hurt” that no ethnic minority actors or directors were up for any of the major prizes.

Halle Berry has claimed her historic 2002 Oscars win "meant nothing"

Continue reading: Halle Berry Claims Her Oscar Win "Meant Nothing" For Diversity

This year’s Oscars will inevitably go down in history for the infamous mix-up over who won Best Picture, but at least one element of the telecast went well enough to warrant being repeated next year, with Jimmy Kimmel confirmed as the host for the 2018 ceremony.

The late night talk show host, who has hosted ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ since 2003 on ABC, will emcee the 90th Academy Awards telecast for the second consecutive year on March 4th next year. The Academy and ABC network revealed that Kimmel will re-team with producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd as well, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney in 2016

Continue reading: Jimmy Kimmel To Return As Oscars Host In 2018

Warren Beatty has said he wants Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs “publicly clarify” what happened during the best picture presentation at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony.

In what will go down as the biggest gaffe in Oscars history, Beatty and his presenting partner Faye Dunaway mistakenly read out La La Land as the best picture winner, after being given the wrong envelope.

Warren Beatty (pictured with wife Annette Bening) wants a public clarification from Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs

Continue reading: Warren Beatty Wants The Academy To "Publicly Clarify" What Led To Oscars Mix-Up

James Corden paid tribute to the catastrophic loss 'La La Land' suffered at the 89th Academy Awards last week, with his own rendition of the musical's song 'Audition (The Fools Who Dream)'. He dons a wig to echo the main character, and takes us back to that cringeworthy incident.

James Corden performs his own rendition of 'La La Land''s 'Audition'

Dressed as Emma Stone's character Mia, with Ryan Gosling also making an appearance reprising his role as Sebastian, he sang about how the film was accidentally named Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday (February 26th 2017) in a segment on 'The Late Late Show with James Corden'.

Continue reading: James Corden Mocks 'La La Land' Best Picture Fiasco With 'Audition' Sketch

While the La La Land / Moonlight confusion inevitably stole the headlines at last night’s Oscars ceremony, the telecast’s host Jimmy Kimmel has come under fire for ‘mocking’ actor Mahershala Ali’s name and ‘devaluing’ his Best Supporting Actor win.

When the first Oscar of the evening went to the 43 year old American actor for his role in Moonlight, making him the first ever Muslim to win an academy award, Ali took the time to pay a heartfelt tribute to his wife Amatus, who had given birth to their first daughter just a few days previously.

“I just want to thank [my wife] for just being such a soldier through this process and for carrying me through it all,” the star said.

Continue reading: Oscars Host Jimmy Kimmel Under Fire For "Mocking" Mahershala Ali's Name

This week has been an amazing one for Mahershala Ali, who as well as becoming a father for the first time, became the first Muslim to win an Academy Award when he scooped the gong for Best Supporting Actor after his star turn in 'Moonlight'. 

Mahershala Ali stars as Juan in 'Moonlight'

Having already won the Screen Actors Guild Award for his role as Juan in Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight', Mahershala Ali has made history by becoming the first ever Islamic Oscar winner. It also marks the very first time that both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress have gone to African-American artists in the same year, with Viola Davis landing the latter for her role in Denzel Washington's big screen adaptation of 'Fences'.

Continue reading: Fatherhood And An Academy Awards Victory: It's A Good Week To Be Mahershala Ali

Viola Davis has just landed Best Supporting Actress at the 89th Academy Awards for her role in the 1950s African-American drama 'Fences'. The win was almost too much for the star though, who looked and sounded deeply overwhelmed as she accepted her prize. 

Viola Davis and Denzel Washington star in 'Fences'

The actress is now a fully-fledged member of the Triple Crown Club having already won a Tony for 2001's 'King Hedley II' and an Emmy for 'How To Get Away With Murder' in 2015. Her Oscar has tied up those three gongs and made her one of the few people ever to manage the remarkable feat, and the second black person to do so after Whoopi Goldberg.

Continue reading: The Academy Awards Serve Up Viola Davis' Third Major Acting Gong

Although she’s pretty much the nailed-on favourite to win at The Oscars later this month, having swept the awards season in all the Best Actress categories for her role opposite Denzel Washington in Fences, Viola Davis has warned against a possible future backslide in the diversity seen in this year’s film awards nominations.

Having scooped the BAFTA for her role as the beleaguered Rose on Sunday night (February 12th), Davis sounded a note of caution at the press conference afterwards, as predictions for the 2018 awards season have already started “and very few African American names are in there.”

Viola Davis with her BAFTA on Sunday night

Continue reading: Viola Davis Unsure About '#OscarsSoWhite' Success

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi may not be able to attend this year’s Academy Awards due to the travel ban enacted by President Donald Trump on Friday, which prohibits entry to the U.S. from seven Muslim majority nations for the next 90 days.

Farhadi’s The Salesman is nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category, an award previously won by the director in 2012 for A Separation. The executive order signed by Trump on Friday affects citizens from Iran, as well as Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Asghar Farhadi may not be able to attend this year’s Oscars

Continue reading: Will Trump's Visa Ban Keep An Oscar Nominated Director From Attending The Ceremony?

The nominations for the 89th Academy Awards are finally in, and of course it's 'La La Land' that takes the biscuit. With no less than 14 nominations under its belt, it's matched the Oscars record! Plus, with the concerns about the 2016 Oscars being a whitewash, it appears the board have addressed these matters by welcoming diversity across each selection.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star in 'La La Land'

It hardly needs to be said, but Damien Chazelle's musical 'La La Land', starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, is leading this year's Oscar nominations with a record-tying 14 which puts them level with 'Titanic' and 'All About Eve'. Naturally, they have been named in the Best Picture, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress and Director categories, but also Original Score, Original Song for both 'Audition (The Fools Who Dream)' and 'City Of Stars', Original Screenplay, as well as Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

Continue reading: Music And Diversity Are What's Hot At The 2017 Oscar Nominations [In-Depth]

Having broken records at the Golden Globes earlier this month, the widely acclaimed movie musical La La Land has performed as predicted and secured 14 nominations for the 2017 Oscars, equalling the record for most nominations.

Damien Chazelle’s movie was given the nod for best picture, director, actor, actress, original screenplay, cinematography, costume design, film editing, original score, original song (twice, for both ‘City of Stars’ and ‘Audition’), production design, sound editing and sound mixing.

“I’m a little speechless,” said the 32 year old director Chazelle of his movie and its impressive haul, incredibly only his second full-length feature film after Whiplash. “I’m filled with gratitude.” His next project is widely reported to be a biopic about astronaut Neil Armstrong, and is set to see him work again with Ryan Gosling, the lead in La La Land.

Continue reading: 'La La Land' Equals Oscars Record With 14 Nominations

Next year’s Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel has revealed the surprisingly low figure he’s being paid to present the telecast in two months’ time.

Speaking to KROQ’s ‘The Kevin & Bean Show’ on Wednesday (December 14th), the 49 year old ABC late-night talk show host revealed that he was receiving just $15,000 as a fee for hosting the Academy Awards in Los Angeles next month.

Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney

Continue reading: Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Surprisingly Low Oscars Fee

Late night chat show host Jimmy Kimmel has been selected to host the 2017 Oscars ceremony in February next year, it has been revealed.

It’s the first time that the 49 year old entertainer has been tapped to host the prestigious annual event, which will take place on February 26th at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on the ABC network. He has previously hosted the Emmys and the American Music Awards on more than one occasion.

Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting the 89th Oscars ceremony in 2017

Continue reading: Jimmy Kimmel To Host 2017 Oscars Ceremony

Ben Affleck is returning to the director's seat for new film 'Live By Night' to work on another Dennis Lehane novel. The film, scheduled for a January 2017 release, set in prohibition era USA, follows Joe Coughlin (Affleck) -the son of a Boston police captain - as he turns into a notorious gangster.

Zoe Saldana and Ben Affleck in Live By Night

Lehane and Affleck first worked together when Affleck adapted 'Gone Baby Gone' in 2007; the neo-noir thriller gained good reviews and after two credits in panned films this year in Batman vs. Superman and Suicide Squad, Affleck is in need of a reputation restoring film. The film is already being tipped for an Oscar nod and with Affleck winning Best Producer and Best Film in 2012 for Argo it's understandable why.

Continue reading: Ben Affleck Reunites With Author Dennis Lehane In Oscar-Tipped Live By Night

In response to the avalanche of criticism the Oscars received this year, the Academy Awards has invited a large number of stars to join its membership so that they can vote ahead of next year’s awards – including British stars Emma Watson, Idris Elba and John Boyega.

A total of 683 people, including a large proportion of women and ethnic minorities, have been invited to join the Academy in order to head off criticism following the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that has dogged the awards for the last two years in a row, after no ethnic minority stars featuring in the list of nominees for all four of the main acting categories, or the directing category.

The four acting category winners at the Oscars 2016 (l-r) Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alicia Vikander

Continue reading: Academy Announces 683 New Members In Massive Diversity Drive

The organisers of The Oscars have apologised for the “tone-deaf” portrayal of Asians in various jokes at this year’s ceremony, after a group of actors and filmmakers of Asian descent complained of being offended.

The Academy was embroiled in a vociferous diversity row in the run-up to the 2016 awards, which were held at the end of February, after all 20 acting nominees were white for the second year in a row. Though it subsequently pledged to double its number of women and minority members by the end of the decade, it has once again found itself at the centre of controversy.

Some members of the Asian community were outraged at one of Chris Rock's jokes at the Oscars

Continue reading: Academy Apologises For "Tone-Deaf" Asian Jokes During Telecast

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith has spoken for the first time since last weekend’s Oscar ceremony, where host Chris Rock took a swipe at her during his opening monologue. The wife of Will Smith had announced she was boycotting this year’s ceremony due to the lack of diversity among the nominees, but Rock joked that she hadn’t been invited anyway.

Jada Pinkett Smith has spoken out after Chris Rock’s Oscar joke.

“Jada [Pinkett Smith] said she’s not coming,” Rock said during the February 28th ceremony. “I was like, ‘Isn’t she on a TV show?’ Jada’s going to boycott The Oscars? Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited!”

Continue reading: Jada Pinkett Smith Addresses Chris Rock's Oscar Joke

Linda Dunn, the woman name-checked by Oscars host Chris Rock as he led his daughters in a competitive fund-raising effort by selling Girl Scout cookies to the assorted celebs at the ceremony on Sunday night, has spoken about being referenced in person on national TV.

After the stunt led to a massive 13,000 boxes of snacks being sold, and a reported (but unconfirmed!) $65,000 raised for his daughters Zahra and Lola’s troop, the New Jersey mom he name-dropped said that she has no hard feelings about what happened.

Chris Rock called out Linda Dunn during the Girl Scout cookie stunt during Sunday's Oscars

Continue reading: Chris Rock's Girl Scout Rival Mom Linda Dunn Responds To Oscar Cåookies Stunt

Inspired by Lady GaGa’s emotional performance at The Oscars where she was joined onstage by dozens of sexual assault survivors, actress Jaime King has shared her own story, saying that she too is a survivor of similar abuse.

The 36 year old star took to Twitter and Instagram on Monday (February 29th) to tell her followers of the abuse she suffered, which she says “started at 12 [years old]”.

“Thank you @ladygaga – I finally felt a true healing from years of abuse as a minor in the industry. Time to be brave,” she tweeted, hours after Gaga had performed her Oscar-nominated song ‘Til It Happens To You’, co-written with Diane Warren for the documentary The Hunting Ground aimed at raising awareness of sexual assaults and rape on college campuses.

Continue reading: Jaime King Inspired By Lady Gaga To Reveal Sexual Abuse In Her Past

A few years ago, it would’ve been nigh-on impossible to imagine Matthew McCaonaughy as an Oscar favourite. But that’s exactly what he is. In fact, he and Jared Leto, who star and stun in Dallas Buyers Club, are in line to each take home a statuette on March 2nd.

Matthew Mcconaughey and Jared Leto in The Dallas Buyers Club

McConaughey plays Ron Woodruff, the true-to-life cowboy-turned-activist, who himself was given 30 days to live after contracting the HIV/Aids virus.

Continue reading: Dallas Buyers Club Interviews: Matthew McConaughey And Jared Leto [Video]

It wouldn’t be insane to suggest that George Clooney knows good from bad at this point in his career. The silver fox has certainly enjoyed some terrific turns over the decades, and when he’s involved in a stinker, it’s surely not news to him when the critics turn around and say: “this stinks”.

The Monuments Men disappointed the critics

There must have been a point when, during the production of The Monuments Men – the World War II comedy/drama focused on an unlikely crew assembled to preserve art and culture otherwise threatened by the Nazis – that Clooney said to himself, ‘hang on, this isn’t very good.’

Continue reading: Outlandish Theory: Did Clooney Delay 'Monuments Men' To Avoid Oscars Embarrassment?

In a move with very few precedents in the Academy Awards’ 86-year-long history, the Academy’s board of Governors has disqualified a nominee. The song Alone Yet Not Alone, featured in a little-known indie film of the same name has had its Best Original Soundtrack nomination rescinded, thanks to what the creator, Bruce Broughton, calls “the simplest grassroots campaign.”

Broughton, a former Academy governor and current music branch executive committee member, "had emailed [some of the other 239] members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period," the Academy said in a statement Wednesday (quote via The Hollywood Reporter). Broughton’s connections to the board are quite extensive – he served as a governor between 2003 and 2012. 28 years ago, Broughton scored another nod for Best Original Soundtrack for his work on Silverado. Alone Yet Not Alone will therefore not appear on Oscar ballots once voting starts on February 14th and there will not be another nominee selected in its place.'

Broughton shared the nomination with lyricist Dennis Spiegel. The two worked together on the soundtrack for Alone Yet Not Alone, a faith-based feature about 18th century colonists struggling to survive in the Ohio Valley. In the film, the song was performed by Joni Eareckson Tada, a prominent, quadriplegic Evangelical minister.

Continue reading: First Oscar Nomination In Years Rescinded Thanks To Composer's "Grassroots Campaign"

The board of governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have made the shock decision to revoke an Oscar nominated song for the upcoming award ceremony.

'Alone Yet No Alone', the soundtrack to the largely unknown film of the same name, was nominated for Best Original Song.

However, the track will not be eligible to enter the ballot when final voting takes place on February 14th, the Academy announced in a press release. 

Continue reading: The Academy Revokes Oscar Nominated Song 'Alone Yet Not Alone'

Matthew McConaughy is on a real hot streak right now, proving that reputations can be shaken almost as quickly as they’re gained in the fickle entity that is Hollywood. Following up his moving performance as the drifting outsider in Mud with an award winning turn in Dallas Buyers Club, the one-time, almost exclusively topless romantic comedy star is heading into The Oscars with a nomination for Best Actor, and he’s a solid chance of taking it home, too.

Matthew Mcconaughey and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club

This week has been particularly fun for the Texan: he edged out some tough competition for the Best Actor in a Drama award at the Golden Globes, and yesterday he was the proud recipient of the equivalent award at The Critics’ Choice awards.

Continue reading: Matthew McConaughy's Journey From Topless Rom-Commer To Oscar Contender

Six months of anticipation for four hours of award giving: that’s what you signed up for. The Oscars 2014 has its host, and now it has its favorites. Which director will be hurtling through an acceptance speech at breakneck speed, and which actor will be practising their sad-yet-humble loser face?

Sandra Bullock [L] and George Clooney [R] In Gravity

It’s Oscars season.

Continue reading: Predicting The Oscars 2014: Is George Clooney Guaranteed An Academy Award?

Kim Kardashian underwent a "vampire facelift" on Sunday's episode of 'Kourtney and Kim Take Miami,' and with it, potentially started a new trend for women looking for a little boost. The scary looking procedure is the same one that Oscar attendees received via a gift certificate in their swag bags last month - maybe someone gave their voucher away to Kardashian?

Basically, you slap a load of stuff onto your face and end up looking like a vampire... zombie... thing, but does it work? Dr Jeffrey Spiegel, a plastic surgeon in Boston, has performed the procedure numerous times over the past five years. "What you do is you take out from a person's arm about two teaspoons full of blood - a standard blood draw, like you would get when you go to the doctor - and add some chemicals, spin it down, and separate it a certain way, and you end up with some fluid that can be injected into the face," Spiegel explained." It's similar to - if you ever scraped your knee, that kind of yellowy stuff that you see oozing out of you - it's like that. So then you inject this back in into the area where there are wrinkles." Sounds terrible. 

So how much is this procedure going to set back those not fortunate enough to attend The Oscars? According to Yahoo, the "Vampire facelift" comes in it around $1,000, which is comparable to proven fillers like Juvaderm or Restylane. "For a little while, you will see an improvement because you just put an injection in," Spiegel added.

Continue reading: Kim Kardashian's Vampire Facelift: Your New Favorite Treatment

Attention has already turned to the 2014 Oscars host; the problem is, though, no one knows who it’s going to be. One thing’s for sure: it won’t be Tina Fey. The comedy actress has ruled her self out in a conversation with The Huffington Post.

“But I just feel like that gig is so hard. Especially for, like, a woman - the amount of months that would be spent trying on dresses alone ... no way,” she explained when asked if she might take the helm. The choice of 2014 host is a huge decision for the academy. Opinion on Seth Macfarlane was divided, and considering the controversial Family Guy creator was hired to lure a younger audience, it will be interesting to see if a safer choice is made next year, or they decided to push the envelope and get someone even more divisive. Chris Brown anyone? Probably not. Louis C.K. has been talked about recently; he certainly has the talent, but perhaps a comedian with his penchant for the colourful side of English isn’t the best option. Jimmy Kimmel is the safe bet.

Continue reading: Who Will Be The Next Oscars Host? NOT Tina Fey

It’s kind of an unwritten rule: when you win an Oscar, you thank all the people who helped you ‘make it’, even though they’re secretly thanking you for getting the film so much extra publicity.

So when Jennifer Lawrence trips up, wishes her fellow nominee Emanualle Riva a happy birthday and generally looks shocked to be anywhere near the golden statuette, but forgets to thank David O Russell and Harvey Weinstein, some post-Oscars love was certainly required. She’ll be hoping her statement to Entertainment Weekly can get her back into Hollywood’s good-books. "In the whirlwind of last night, I was remiss to thank two incredibly important people to this film and in my life," she said in the statement. She then thanked Russell for "the most incredible experience of my life" and "for your genius, for your guidance, for teaching me things about myself and nurturing me to be a better actor." She also thanked Weinstein for supporting the film "from early days" and for his "passion and unyielding support [which] gave this film the opportunity to thrive and touch so many people."

Continue reading: Jennifer Lawrence Is Best Actress – But She Forgot To Thank Her Director And Producer!

If Ben Affleck and the makers of Argo were hoping that their film based around the 1979 Iran hostage crisis would be met with an open arms response by the people of Iran then it appears that they’re going to be sorely let down. In fact, bolstered by the news that Argo has put the political incident back into the spotlight, CNN reported last month that film makers in the country are preparing to write and make their own response to the crisis, in order to tell the side of the story from the Iranian perspective.

Now the reaction to it winning the Oscar has come in, and Iran isn’t happy. "I am secular, atheist and not pro-regime but I think the film 'Argo' has distorted history and insulted Iranians," said cafe owner Hossain to The Los Angeles Times. "For me, it wasn't even a good thriller." His thoughts were backed up by many others on the streets of Iran, "I did not enjoy seeing my fellow countrymen and women insulted," said Farzaneh Haji. "The men then were not all bearded and fanatical. To be anti-American was a fashionable idea among young people across the board. Even non-bearded and U.S.-educated men and women were against American imperialism." It was reported by the LA Times that bootleg copies of the DVD are currently going for less than $1 on the piracy market in Iran.

In January CNN had reported that Iranian capital Tehran’s Art Bureau was looking into making a response to the film, called The General Staff, and will  be based on eye-witness accounts of the event.

Continue reading: Iran's Response To Argo? Bootleg DVD's Sold For Just $1

Ben Affleck shaves beard "to mark the end of a chapter," but it was such a great beard, this was a chapter we never wanted to end.

It certainly seems to have been his lucky charm so it seems a little strange for Ben Affleck to shave off that lustrous beard. However, as TMZ reports, it is done, and as a source told E! Affleck chose to do so to "to mark the end of a chapter." 

Argo, his movie which won Best Picture at The Oscars on Sunday, was a labour of love for Affleck who both directed and starred in it. He originally grew the beard for the part; an agent who poses as a film maker to be able to get into Iran and save some Americans without the danger of being considered a threat to the state. Affleck's beard even has its own Twitter. On February 23rd it tweeted "Each day I pray he doesn't take a razor to me." Those prayers must have not been listened to. 

Continue reading: RIP Ben Affleck's Beard: Oscar Winner Affleck Shaves Beard The Day After Winning Award

They say that all publicity is good publicity, right? Though it has to be said, if Seth Macfarlane happens to be self-googling this morning, he will probably be questioning why they say that and whether it holds any truth at all. After Macfarlane shut the lid on his controversial Oscars hosting stint, the dust is still a long way from settling.

Macfarlane’s management of his hosting role resulted in him offending pretty much every minority group going, particularly women and Jews (and especially Jewish women, we expect). And judging by New York Times’ report on the matter, even the white middle-class males that for the leftover majority managed to be offended on behalf of and out of sympathy for everyone that was already offended. Academy member Lawrence Turman remarked “I think I’m a very liberal guy, but I actually winced.” Jewish groups have labeled the Family Guy creator as “offensive, unfunny and inappropriate,” the Daily Mail report, after his Ted alter-ego told Mark Wahlberg that he had to be Jewish if he wanted to work in Hollywood.

He also took a pop at Adele’s weight, Chris Brown and Rihanna’s relationship and a whole bunch of female Hollywood actresses, including Jennifer Lawrence and Charlize Theron, for daring to take their clothes off in movies. It’s not looking good for Macfarlane, who appears to have offended everyone in sight, if the headlines are to be believed (and the paragraphs after the headlines, containing all the evidence…) but hey, at least the ratings were up, eh, Seth!? That’s the main thing, right? 

Continue reading: Ratings Up But That Won't Save Seth Macfarlane's Oscars Reviews

Ang Lee is no stranger to awards. His movies have received 38 Academy Award nominations and won 12, but to win Best Director for Life of Pi was nothing short of a shock for most. Its stunning visuals set it up for a win in the cinematography category, but Best Director (without wanting to belittle our expectations of Lee or of the movie itself) certainly seemed a toss up between Steven Spielberg for Lincoln or Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty.  

However, we were all wrong, and gladly so. In his acceptance speech Lee thanked the cast, the crew, Fox, and Taiwan itself, all components of which came together to make one of the most beautiful films to watch of all time. "Suraj, where are you?" He said, the Telegraph quotes. "You're a miracle. He [carries] the movie. Every one of you in the cast... You're the golden statue in my heart." 

Lee is well deserved of the award. While yes, indeed, the cast, the crew and the country all came together to make it work, it was Lee who brought all those components under one roof, as it were. It was Lee's vision that made the unfilmable, filmable; the impossible, possible. And that is something that should always be commended. 

The Obamas have always mixed well with the entertainment world, with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle listing the likes of Jay Z and Beyonce among their pals. So although Michelle Obama was the ‘surprise’ guest to award the best picture honor at The Oscars last night (February 24, 2013), we perhaps shouldn’t have been too stunned.

The First Lady appeared via video link-up alongside veteran actor Jack Nicholson, who at first appeared by himself before revealing who he was with. The pair were in the White House, with Michelle Obama wearing a silver, art deco-inspired gown by Indian-born American fashion designer Naeem Khan. It was the same outfit she wore at a dinner with the USA’s governors the same evening.

Discussing all of the nominees, Obama commented that the content of their films showed that “we can overcome any obstacle." Continuing, she added that the message is "especially important for our young people" and thanked Hollywood for encouraging children "to open their imaginations." Of course, as you surely all know by now, the eventual winner of the best picture was Argo. Directed by Ben Affleck, it gave him full redemption after the disappointment of missing the short list for best director. With its success, it also became the first film to take the best picture Oscar without an accompanying best director nomination, since 1989’s Driving Miss Daisy.

Continue reading: Surprise Michelle Obama Oscars Appearance For Best Picture Awards

Jennifer Lawrence is forever endearingly candid, witty, beautiful, and always manages to pull off a look of 'gracious but goofy'. In fact, let's coin that phrase in honour of her. Jennifer Lawrence is graciously goofy and it's all part of her charm. This photo then, wearing a stunning dress and clasping her well earned Oscar, sums her up, but who on earth is she flipping off?

Jennifer Lawrence giving the finger at the Oscars

Who she definitely should not be flipping off:

Continue reading: Who Is Jennifer Lawrence Flipping Off At The Oscars? (Photo)

Very rarely has it been so clear that Oscar nominations and wins are a delicately calculated game of accumulated points and numbers, as the Academy panel want to keep everyone on side. While it comes as something of a shock for Argo to beat Lincoln to the Best Film of the year, if we look at the numbers, it all adds up.

Good company: Jack Nicholson, George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Ben Affleck

Continue reading: The Oscars Shock Winners And Losers: How Argo Beat Lincoln To Best Picture

Adele added another award to her already extensive collection last night as she and co-songwriter Paul Epworth took home the gong for Best Original Song at the 2013 Academy Awards show.

Adele and 'Skyfall' co-writer Paul Epworth win Best Original Song at the Oscars 2013

Continue reading: Oscars Glory For British Darling Adele With Skyfall Win

Is this a shock? It kind of is. Ang Lee has taken the Best Director Oscar for Life of Pi, ahead of Steven Spielberg for Lincoln, who was the hot favorite to win the award.

Not to worry, Speilberg, you’ll bag best film, everyone knows it. But this was Ang Lee’s day, and he delivered his speech with the eloquence and grace that he’s become known for. “Thank you so much. Thank you movie god,” he said, looking up to the sky and receiving a titter of laughter from a knowing crowd. “I really need to share this with everyone who worked with me on Life of Pi. I want to thank you for believing the story and sharing this incredible journey. I need to thanks Yann Martell for writing this incredible, inspiring book.” This award was perhaps distorted by the fact were both Ben Affleck and Quentin Tarantino both, inexplicably, missed out on nominations, effectively making the Academy voter’s decisions a whole lot easier.

Continue reading: Oscars 2013: Ang Lee Beats Steven Spielberg To Best Director

Ahead of what could be the biggest night in Quvenzhané Wallis’ fledgling career, it has been announced that the young starlet will indeed star in Sony Picture’s upcoming version of Annie.

Wallis got the film world all aflutter with her incredibly mature performance in Beasts of The Southern Wild – a feel-good movie centred on climate change, which is nominated for Best Picture at tonight’s Oscars ceremony. The then-5-year-old Wallis has already made Oscars history with her nomination for best actress; she’s the youngest ever. A win is perhaps a stretch too far, with Emmanuelle Riva – incidentally the oldest ever nominee in that category – and Jennifer Lawrence leading the way for their parts in Amour and Silver Linings Playbook respectively. "With the recent Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim, Quvenzhané Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star," President of production at Columbia Pictures Hannah Minghella said. "She is an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can't wait for audiences to further discover her." (via Yahoo).

Quvenzhane Wallis at Arlington Theater Annual Santa Barbara International

Continue reading: Youngest Ever Oscar-Nominee Quvenzhané Wallis Secures Role In Annie

Musical stars have warmed up their vocal chords in a practise run for tonight's Oscars, among the performers are Adele and Anne Hathaway.

Adele was also at the Grammys this year

Continue reading: Oscars 2013: Adele And Les Miserables Cast Members Give Practise Performance To Oscar Workers

How did Dior know that Jennifer Lawrence was going to continue being a darling of the awards season? They announced last October that she would be the face of a new campaign and this week the results of their photoshoot, the fruits of their labour, have been revealed. Just ahead of The Oscars in which she's nominated for Best Actress means they've arrived in perfect time!

In a statement reported by E! Lawrence said: "It's such a dream to represent an iconic brand that is synonymous with high fashion."  She said, continuing, "I'm so excited to be working with the fashion house and wear the new creations by Raf Simons. His most recent haute couture and ready-to-wear collections glamorously capture the modern era at Dior." 

The collection of photographs, which best highlights accessories and jewellery, are mostly shot in black and white. Lawrence's softly strong bone structure combined with her beautiful skin reflect the light in the most flattering way. Sleek hair and simple makeup (a splash of red on her lips and very lightly smokey eyes) make the era placeless and should certainly make the look timeless. 

Continue reading: Jennifer Lawrence And Raf Simon's Dior Photos Released Ahead Of The Oscars

For the nominees who were truly humbled by their Oscar nomination but know full well that they wont win, aside from an incredible night in Hollywood surrounded by their biggest inspirations, they'll also walk away with an incredible gift bag filled with $45k's worth of stuff. 

Indeed, who needs a golden statuette when you can get a vampire facelift for free? Or a bottle of windex? Or a pack of branded condoms? Yes, these really are some items in this year's goody bags. We can laugh at these while we pootle home from the birthday parties our children have been to, bringing back bags filled with some squashed cake and enough sugar-filled sweets to see the children bouncing off the walls for a few days. What is a 'vampire facelift', anyway? 

There are a few items included, however, that we can't laugh at... that, in fact, will induce an uncomfortable shade of green springing to our cheeks, matching the envy in our guts. The consolation gifts inspiring our jealousy this year are: a $12k trip to Australia, a $4k weight loss retreat and an $8,000 stay in Mexico. Even the slightly odd 'circus classes' and the $1,800 membership for the Heathrow luxury lounge wouldn't go a miss. 

Continue reading: Oscar Awards Losers Will All Receive An Incredible Consolation Prize Worth Over $45k

Anyone bothered to check The Oscars 2013 news today – the day before the ceremony – has seen both Argo and Lincoln. We have, and we loved them both. But there’s an air of controversy surrounding both stories, which are dramatizations of real life events.

As is the case with all ‘based on a true story’ films, there are scenes in which a certain amount of embellishment adds to the drama or tension. This is certainly true of the (SPOILER) last scenes in Argo, where the team escape Iran with police cars chasing the plane. This didn’t happen; they entered the airport at around 5am, when it was quiet, and enjoyed a peaceful passage onto the plane. That wouldn’t be a very exciting film, though, would it?

Continue reading: Argo And Lincoln – Two Oscars Favourites With Historical And Contextual Inaccuracies

Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe are all well-respected actors, who’ve carved out hugely successful careers. But that didn’t mean they got a free pass into Les Miserables – no – they had to audition, and by that we mean sing, like everybody else.

Hugh Jackman & Russell Crowe (left) and Les Mis Director, Tom Hooper

Continue reading: Oscars 2013 – Les Miserables Cast Sang For Their Roles In The Film

Never before has someone taken three Best Actor in a Leading Role awards. So for Daniel Day Lewis – a man with two, and a critically acclaimed performance as Abraham Lincoln under his belt - the stage is set for a record breaking evening in Hollywood tomorrow night.

Daniel Day Lewis clutches his Bafta for Lincoln

Continue reading: The Oscars 2013: Time For Daniel Day Lewis To Step Into Greatness

Attention swerves towards best film, and the male and female versions of best lead and supporting actors at The Oscars. They’re the big ones, and attract the largest pre-cermoney-buzz. But spare a thought for the daring set of animated films vying in the lesser-talked-of, Best Animation category.

See, while the Toy Stories and Ratatouilles of this world are undoubtedly works of genius, there are darker, more adult themes in animation today that can stir up debate and conjure emotion just like any traditional feature film. Only three animated features have ever been nominated in the best film category: Beauty and the Beast, Up and Toy Story 3. All fantastic films, but there should be more. "I think this year with these films - and so many more - the envelope for animation is being pushed," said Brave director Mark Andrews at an Academy Awards event Thursday night, according to Fox. "We keep seeing more risky, deep films that we wouldn't have seen 10 years ago coming out. I wanna be 1 of those guys pushing it more and more and more because it's not only an awesome medium, but there's so many more stories that we can tell."

This year sees Brave, Frankenweenie, Paranorman, Pirates! Band of Misfits and Wreck-it Ralph battle it out for best animated feature. We reckon Wreck it Ralph will receive the gong despite Brave being the bookie’s favourite to take home thr prize. They’re all fantastic films, though, as most animations tend to be. You can read our review for Wreck it Ralph here, and watch the trailer below.

Continue reading: The Oscars 2013 – Let’s Take The Animation Category Seriously, Okay?

It's less than two weeks until the most prestigious movie awards ceremony - the Academy Awards -takes place on February 24th 2013 and rumours are flying around everywhere about alleged appearances. One of the biggest is, in the wake of the 50th anniversary of the first James Bond movie 'Dr No', all six actors who have portrayed the British spy (from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig) will show up for one huge reunion on the Oscars stage. But just how likely is it happen?

Sean Connery has, according to the Daily Record, been invited to attend the so-called reunion, as sources reveal that they've 'not had a no from him'. 'Normally he is quick to turn things down', they said. 'Sean's relationship with the Oscars is good and we're hoping he'll appear.' The paper also went on to claim that Sean's 'issues' with the producers of James Bond may deter him from attending the event, although we've always thought of him as seeming rather proud of being the original 007 star so it would seem odd for him to refuse on that account. On the other hand, according to the Edinburgh Evening News, the Scottish actor didn't even know about the rumours, with his press agent claiming that no-one has yet asked him to get involved.

One who would be likely to attend is Sir Roger Moore; a man who was loved by so many that he played the role of Bond for 12 years, completing 7 movies between 1973 and 1985. He celebrated the 50th anniversary of the franchise last year by releasing his book 'Bond on Bond: The Ultimate Book On 50 Years Of Bond Movies' so it certainly seems like it's a part of his life he holds dear. He mentioned in an interview on the 'Today' show that it was like 'working with a family every 18 months' but regrets that he finished his book before he saw the latest 007 movie 'Skyfall'. 'I would write another chapter', he said. 'I think it is just the best Bond ever made.' However, as happy as he seems to be constantly associated with the fictional secret agent, he wasn't spotted at the 2013 BAFTAS on February 10th 2013 where 'Skyfall' won 'Best British Film'.

Continue reading: Will The Six Spies 'Bond' At The Oscars?

Christopher Nolan's epic conclusion to the celebrated Dark Knight trilogy was released in the summer of 2012, with many critics agreeing that it was already a viable contender for Oscar season, but of the 24 categories on offer, The Dark Knight Rises didn't receive a single nod.

Everyone seems to be up in arms over Ben Affleck's omission from the Best Director category, or over Skyfall's similarly unanimous snub (although, rightly so, it has been given the nod for Best Cinematography as well as nominations for its soundtrack and editing), but it does come as quite a surprise to see so few remarks about the lack of Batman at The Oscars.

Ok, we all agree that the film maybe wasn't overall as good as its predecessor The Dark Knight, but it was still one hell of a show (and how was Tom Hardy supposed to compete with Heath Ledger's Joker). From the colossal set designs (Bane's sewer-based lair), the quite brilliant costumes on show (Catwoman and Bane's mask) and the film's deep underlying messages reflecting our own world, raising questions about class, wealth and power, has a more deserving and appropriate for our time film been made this year? You'd have to say no, not really.

Continue reading: No Love For The Dark Knight Rises At This Year's Oscars

We're still in 2012, but already talk of who will win what at next years Oscar ceremony is widespread across the web. One picture that isn't feeling the love so much is period picture Anna Karenina, which hits US cinemas today.

Keira Knightley's latest costume drama has received relatively wide-spread acclaim so far, but that doesn't mean that she or the film itself will be given so much as a how-do-you-do when the shortlist of the Academy Awards is announced early next year. In terms of Best Picture, both The Dark Knight Rises and Disney Pixar's Brave are placed above the Leo Tolstoy adaptation and we all know how well superhero and animated films perform at the Oscars. Argo is currently the bookie's favourite to take home the top gong, with Lincoln a close second.

As for Knightley and her chances of getting hold of a Best Actress award, things aren't looking too great there either. Jennifer Lawrence's turn in Silver Linings Playlist looks like everyone's favourite to pick up the award at only her second time of asking, with Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) and Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone) all placed above the Brit by bookmakers.

Continue reading: Anna Karenina Likely To Be Left Out At The Oscars?

Alfred Hitchcock biopic ‘Hitchcock’ is set to be in line for an Oscar this year as Fox Searchlight reveals the 2012 release date.

Fox Searchlight Pictures are known for producing and distributing independent, mainly British films many of which have been successful Oscar winners or nominees including ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Black Swan’, ‘The Full Monty’, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘Juno’. ‘Hitchcock’ could be set to be their latest jewel as the previously expected 2013 release date has been moved to November 23rd 2012 making it a serious contender for an Academy Award this year.

Unlike the actual Alfred Hitchcock movies, which were largely suspense-driven thrillers, the film is comedy drama based on the making of Alfred Hitchcock’s hit 1960 blockbuster ‘Psycho’ and the relationship the director had with his wife Alma Reville. It focuses on the major controversy surrounding the film’s sexual and violent content and Hitchcock’s battle with financing and censorship. It has been adapted by screenwriter John McLaughlin (‘Black Swan’) from Stephen Rebello’s biography ‘Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho’ with Sacha Gervasi (‘Anvil: The Story of Anvil’) in his feature film directorial debut. If this wasn’t enough to make a big impression at The Oscars, then the flick’s all-star cast is bound to be a winner. With Academy Award sensations Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren playing Hitchcock and Alma, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel playing ‘Psycho’ stars Janet Leigh and Vera Miles, the spectacular mix of both American and British actors is sure to appeal to most culturally singular film lovers.