The Academy once again goes its own way with a singular list of Oscar nominees

Posted by · 5:37 am · January 16th, 2014

As it always does, the Academy had a few things of its own to say this morning as the 86th annual Oscar nominations announcement was full of intrigue. Never too closely resembling the buzz we’re all going on as ballots are turned in, the organization went its own way in a few key areas, putting smiles on some faces, slapping frowns on others.

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86th Academy Awards nominations – complete list

Posted by · 4:40 am · January 16th, 2014

A complete rundown of the nominees for the 86th Academy Awards including best picture nominees “12 Years A Slave,” “Gravity,” “Captain Phillips,” “American Hustle,” “Nebraska,” “Her”

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Four films stand atop the industry precursor awards circuit

Posted by · 3:40 pm · January 15th, 2014

With the announcement of the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards nominees this afternoon, all of the various industry guilds and societies have had their say on the season. And it’s just under the wire, too, as we’re all preparing for the Oscar nominations announcement tomorrow morning. So how did the various contenders fare?

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Makeup and Hairstylists Guild nominates 'Lone Ranger,' 'American Hustle,' 'Bad Grandpa'

Posted by · 1:06 pm · January 14th, 2014

The Makeup & Hairstylists Guild has not presented awards in nearly a decade. This year, however, IATSE Local 706 is dusting off the trophies and jumping back into the kudos circuit.

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'Gravity' wins top honors at AACTA International Awards

Posted by · 5:10 am · January 13th, 2014

AACTA — the Australian Academy — presented the international division of their awards in Los Angeles, with “Gravity” emerging as the top winner, while “12 Years a Slave” and “American Hustle” also took multiple awards.

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Globes spread the wealth as 'American Hustle,' 'Gravity' and '12 Years a Slave' win major awards

Posted by · 7:29 pm · January 12th, 2014

Typically it’s easy enough to gauge where the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is going to lean. It’s a small enough group and there are enough of their whisperers out there that usually long before the show, more or less, everyone has a pretty good idea. But this year things were all over the place and the younger members of the group exemplify some shifting tastes. So we ended up with a love-spreading evening that dotted all the t’s and crossed all the i’s.

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71st Golden Globes winners and nominees – complete list

Posted by · 5:58 pm · January 12th, 2014

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association handed out wins for the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards Sunday night. “12 Years a Slave” and “American Hustle” were the big winners in the Best Picture ranks, while “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Gravity” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” took major prizes as well.

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Contender Countdown: Will there be fewer than 9 best picture nominees?

Posted by · 2:54 pm · January 11th, 2014

With less than a week to go before the Oscar nominations are announced and before anyone gets “confused” by whatever the HFPA decide Sunday night, a last look at the race for best picture.

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Tech Support: Final predictions for Best Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design and Sound

Posted by · 3:54 pm · January 10th, 2014

We’re within a week of the big moment. Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday next week and we’ll find out which films are the dominant forces throughout the Academy’s various craft categories. Yesterday HitFix’s Gerard Kennedy began final Tech Support analysis of the field with the categories of Best Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song and Visual Effects. Today we round out the field with the rest.

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'12 Years a Slave' sweeps Iowa critics' awards

Posted by · 12:57 pm · January 10th, 2014

“12 Years a Slave” won every category it could from the Iowa Film Critics’ Association, while “Nebraska” and “American Hustle” were repeated runners-up.

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Oscar Talk: Final thoughts before the 2014 Academy Award nominations

Posted by · 8:00 am · January 10th, 2014

On the latest podcast, Kris and Anne offer up some final nuggets in advance of the 86th annual Academy Awards nominations announcement.

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'Captain Phillips,' 'American Hustle' and 'Breaking Bad' nominated for 2014 ACE Eddie Awards

Posted by · 5:00 am · January 10th, 2014

The American Cinema Editors (ACE) organization has announced nominees for the 64th annual ACE Eddie Awards, and “American Hustle” has predictably kept its strong guild showing going with a notice in the comedy or musical category.

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Roundup: BAFTA voter slams his fellow 'sheep'

Posted by · 4:43 am · January 10th, 2014

In today’s roundup of notable online news and views, a BAFTA voter anonymously admonishes the group (himself included) for voting for frontrunners they haven’t seen. Also: Steve McQueen’s new TV project, and “American Hustle’s” J.Law problem.

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Tech Support: Final predictions for Best Cinematography, Makeup, Score, Song and Visual Effects

Posted by · 12:16 pm · January 9th, 2014

Here we go again. A week from today, the nominees for the 86th annual Academy Awards will be announced. Here at Tech Support, we’ve analyzed each of the 10 crafts categories, and interviewed several of the contenders. It’s now a waiting game with final calls to be made. Today, we take a final look at the fields of cinematography, music, makeup and hairstyling and visual effects.

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'Her,' 'American Hustle' and 'Gravity' among Art Directors Guild nominees

Posted by · 7:00 am · January 9th, 2014

There are no significant surprises in this year’s list of Art Directors Guild nominees, which include the likes of “American Hustle” and “12 Years a Slave” in the period category, and the more contemporary work of “Her” and “Gravity.”

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The Long Shot: The case for 'American Hustle'

Posted by · 6:35 pm · January 8th, 2014

“American Hustle,” along with “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave,” has emerged as a frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar, prompting detractors to dismiss it as a soft option. Here’s why it isn’t.

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Costume Designers Guild nominees range from 'Her' to 'The Hunger Games'

Posted by · 7:55 am · January 8th, 2014

“American Hustle,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Her” are among the films nominated today by the Costume Designers’ Guild, who present their awards on February 22.

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Is the newly British 'Gravity' the film to beat at the BAFTAs?

Posted by · 1:02 am · January 8th, 2014

With hefty nomination hauls for “American Hustle,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Gravity” — nominated as a British film — the UK’s top film awards again reflect the Oscar race, with a few key exceptions.

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