This tip comes from a very good source that we shall call Felix, that is personally connected to the Buzz Newsroom team. Also, Felix has tripped us on other news that has panned out before; of course, we should always take tips with a grain of salt. He’s working on the ABC production team and close to Bill Condon and Larry Mark (the guys running the Oscar broadcast, respectively the director and the producer of Dreamgirls). If Bill and Larry are around, so is Felix. Here’s the text we received about 10 minutes ago, naming Slumdog Millionare as winner of Best Picture:
THINGS ARE HECTIC. RIGHT NOW THE FOCUS IS ON LOGISTICS, SECURITY AND FLOW. WE’RE WORKING ON MUSIC QUES, SO THE RIGHT SOUNDTRACK MUSIC CHIMES IN WHEN THE “WINNER” STEPS UP TO THE STAGE. IN THE BOOTH, THEY KEEP ON FOCUSING ON THREE THINGS: SLUMDOG MILLIONARE FOR BEST PICTURE, KATE WINSLET FOR BEST ACTRESS, HEATH LEDGER FOR BEST SUPPORTING. NOTHING ELSE. IVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE BOOTH, HOPE TO GET MORE INFO SOON.
We’ll you read all that here first, folks!!!!
Late Australian actor Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar and “Slumdog Millionaire” scooped four honors Sunday as the 81st Academy Awards got off to an electrifying and poignant start in Hollywood. Ledger, who died last year of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 28, won the best supporting actor for his portrayal of Batman’s arch-enemy the Joker in last year’s summer blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” – from AFP
Kate Winslet has won the best-actress Academy Award for the Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader,” while best-picture favorite “Slumdog Millionaire” has cruised to seven Oscars, including best director for Danny Boyle. A five-time loser at the Oscars previously, Winslet triumphed for her role as a former concentration camp guard in an affair with a teenager. – from AP
“Slumdog Millionaire” is the Academy Awards champion, wrapping up its ghetto-to-glory story by winning best picture and seven other Oscars, including the directing honor for Danny Boyle. A story of hope amid squalor in Mumbai, India, “Slumdog Millionaire” also had wins that include adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing and both music Oscars, score and song. – from NWI
Many kudos for the hugely deserving nomination for Ledger – he was the Dark Knight – and it’s a fitting tribute to his memory. Also, more kudos to the academy for recognizing Robert Downey Jr. for his brilliant comic role in Tropic Thunder. The accolades for Danny Boyle’s superb Slumdog Millionaire are great. On the down side, WALL-E was easily one of the best picture last year – and it gets shoved aside because it’s ‘only’ an animated film. Much like Ratatouille was in 2007, it may well be the best film of this year. And finally – the Reader for best picture? Where the hell did that come from. (The Full List Is Below).
On the first anniversary of his death, Heath Ledger received a huge tribute: The late actor is an Oscar nominee for best supporting actor for his role as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” notched the most nominations with 13, including best picture, best director for David Fincher, best actor for Brad Pitt and a best supporting actress nod for Taraji Phenson. – From NY Daily News
Batman and Clint Eastwood? Forget about it. Instead, the far more serious Holocaust-themed The Reader slipped into the race for a best-picture Oscar and its director, Stephen Daldry, also managed to sneak into his category. The other nominees announced for top prize in the 81st Academy Awards Thursday morning in Los Angeles followed the script of the prognosticators: the era-spanning fable The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which led the crowd with 13 nominations; gay-themed political biopic Milk; TV-landmark drama Frost/Nixon; and romantic crowd-pleaser Slumdog Millionaire. – From USA Today
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” led all films with nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards on Thursday morning, picking up 13. The film, about a man who ages in reverse, earned nods for best picture, best director (David Fincher), best actor (Brad Pitt), best supporting actress (Taraji P. Henson) and best adapted screenplay as well as several other picks. The record for Oscar nominations is 14, held by “All About Eve” and “Titanic.” Both films won best picture. – From CNN
Frost/Nixon:
Milk:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:
Slumdog Millionaire:
The Reader:
Performance by an actor in a leading role:
* Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
* Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
* Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
* Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
* Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
* Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
* Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
* Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role:
* Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
* Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
* Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
* Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated feature film of the year:
* “Bolt” (Walt Disney) Chris Williams and Byron Howard
* “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
* “WALL-E” (Walt Disney)
Achievement in directing:
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Fincher
* “Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Ron Howard
* “Milk” (Focus Features) Gus Van Sant
* “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Stephen Daldry
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle
Best documentary feature:
* “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild) A Pandinlao Films Production Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
* “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment) A Creative Differences Production Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
* “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production Scott Hamilton Kennedy
* “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall Production James Marsh and Simon Chinn
* “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films) An Elsewhere Films Production Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Best foreign language film of the year:
* “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production – Germany
* “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production – France
* “Departures” (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production – Japan
* “Revanche” (Janus Films) A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production – Austria
* “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production – Israel
Best motion picture of the year:
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
A Kennedy/Marshall Production Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
* “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
* “Milk” (Focus Features)
A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
* “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production Nominees to be determined
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight)
A Celador Films Production Christian Colson, Producer
