85th Annual Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced its 85th annual Academy Awards on February 24th, 2013 with giving away the Best Picture award to ARGO, directed by Ben Affleck and produced by Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov whereas the Best Director award went to Ang Lee for LIFE OF PI. Doesn't win anything anywhere else. Wins one of the most important awards at the Oscars. This is Ang Lee. THIS IS EPIC!

Here I must say that this was definitely one of the best ceremonies in recent years and it was a delight to watch it live and enjoy all those thrilling and surprising moments. There weren't any shocking wins BUT there was a huge surprise, that being Lee's win for Life of Pi. I have been wishing for this since the day I watched this film and it happened eventually. It should have won the Best Picture, too, not because Argo wasn't deserving but only because Life of Pi is one of the most magical films ever made, it is an achievement in modern cinema and the film of a lifetime.

Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Best Actor award (he previously won for My Left Foot in 1989 and There Will Be Blood in 2007) thus making him the only male actor who has won 3 awards.

I wanted FRANKENWEENIE to win the Best Animated Feature but all the major awards went to BRAVE, which is as stupid as it gets because it also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. I still think that Frankenweenie was the Best Animated Film of 2012.

Majority of the wins were pretty predictable and all of them are reasonable. A  lot of people may not agree with this but it's alright, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Here is the complete list of winners along with the nominations:

Best Picture:

• Lincoln


• Silver Linings Playbook


• WINNER: Argo


• Amour


• Django Unchained


• Beasts of the Southern Wild


• Life of Pi


• Zero Dark Thirty


• Les Misérables

Best Director:

• David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)


• WINNER: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)


• Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)


• Michael Haneke (Amour)


• Behn Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Best Actor:

• Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)


• WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)


• Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables)


• Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)


• Denzel Washington (Flight)

Best Actress:

• Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)


• WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)


• Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)


• Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)


• Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

Best Supporting Actor:

• Alan Arkin (Argo)


• Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)


• Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)


• WINNER: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)


• Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)

Best Supporting Actress:

• Amy Adams (The Master)


• Sally Field (Lincoln)


• WINNER: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)


• Helen Hunt (The Sessions)


• Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Writing - Original Screenplay:

• John Gatins (Flight)


• Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty)


• WINNER: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)


• Michael Haneke (Amour)


• Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom)

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay:

• Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)


• WINNER: Chris Terrio (Argo)


• Tony Kushner (Lincoln)


• David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)


• David Magee (Life of Pi)

Best Animated Feature:

• Frankenweenie


• The Pirates! Band of Misfits


• Wreck-It Ralph


• ParaNorman


• WINNER: Brave

Best Foreign Language Film:

• WINNER: Amour


• Kon-Tiki


• A Royal Affair


• War Witch


• No

Best Documentary - Feature:

• 5 Broken Cameras


• The Gatekeepers


• How to Survive a Plague


• The Invisible War


• WINNER: Searching For Sugar Man

Best Documentary - Short Subject:

• WINNER: Inocente


• Kings Point


• Mondays at Racine


• Open Heart


• Redemption

Best Live Action Short Film:

• Asad


• Buzkashi Boys


• WINNER: Curfew


• Death of a Shadow


• Henry

Best Animated Short Film:

• Adam and Dog


• Fresh Guacamole


• Head over Heels


• Maggic Simpson in ‘The Longest Daycare’


• WINNER: Paperman

Best Original Score:

• Dario Marianelli (Anna Karenina)


• Alexandre Desplat (Argo)


• WINNER: Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)


• John Williams (Lincoln)


• Thomas Newman (Skyfall)

Best Original Song:

• “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice


• “Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi


• “Suddenly” from Les Misérables


• “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from Ted


• WINNER: “Skyfall” from Skyfall

Best Sound Editing (TIE):

• Argo


• Django Unchained


• Life of Pi


• WINNER: Skyfall


• WINNER: Zero Dark Thirty

Best Sound Mixing:

• Argo


• WINNER: Les Misérables


• Life of Pi


• Lincoln


• Skyfall

Best Production Design:

• Anna Karenina


• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey


• Les Misérables


• Life of Pi


• WINNER: Lincoln

Best Cinematography:

• Seamus McGarvey (Anna Karenina)


• Robert Richardson (Django Unchained)


• WINNER: Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi)


• Janusz Kaminski (Lincoln)


• Roger Deakins (Skyfall)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

• Hitchcock


• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey


• WINNER: Les Misérables

Best Costume Design:

• WINNER: Anna Karenina


• Les Misérables


• Lincoln


• Mirror Mirror


• Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Film Editing:

• WINNER: William Goldenberg (Argo)


• Tim Squyres (Life of Pi)


• Michael Kahn (Lincoln)


• Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers (Silver Linings Playbook)


• Dylen Tichenor and William Goldenberg (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Visual Effects:

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey


• WINNER: Life of Pi


• The Avengers


• Prometheus


• Snow White and the Huntsman

28th Annual Independent Spirit Awards

The 28th Annual Independent Spirit Awards were held on February 22nd, 2013. Best Feature went to SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, written and directed by David O. Russell who also won the Best Director award.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Feature: Silver Linings Playbook

Best First Feature: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Best Director: David O. Russell

Best Male Lead: John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Best Female Lead: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Supporting Male: Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike)

Best Supporting Female: Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

Best Screenplay: David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best First Screenplay: Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed)

Best Cinematography: Ben Richardson (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Best Foreign Film: Amour

Best Documentary Feature: The Invisible War

John Cassavetes Award: Middle of Nowhere

Truer Than Fiction Award: The Waiting Room

Producers Award: Mynette Louie

Someone to Watch Award: Adam Leon (Gimme the Loot)

Robert Altman Award: Starlet

Special Distinction Award: Harris Savides

15th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards

The Costume Designers Guild (CDG) announced its awards on February 19th, 2013 with giving away the top prizes to ANNA KARENINA, MIRROR MIRROR and SKYFALL for Period, Fantasy and Contemporary Film categories respectively.

Here is the complete list of winners:

EXCELLENCE IN CONTEMPORARY FILM: Jany Temime (Skyfall)

EXCELLENCE IN PERIOD FILM: Jacqueline Durran (Anna Karenina)

EXCELLENCE IN FANTASY FILM: Eiko Ishioka (Mirror Mirror)

OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION SERIES: Molly Maginnis (Smash)

OUTSTANDING PERIOD/FANTASY TELEVISION SERIES: Caroline McCall (Downton Abbey)

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES: Lou Eyrich (American Horror Story: Asylum)

EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL COSTUME DESIGN: Judianna Makovsky (Captain Morgan Black)

LACOSTE SPOTLIGHT AWARD: Anne Hathaway

DISTINGUISHED COLLABORATOR AWARD: Lorne Michaels

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM: Judianna Makovsky

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN TELEVISION: Eduardo Castro

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: David Le Vey

65th Annual Writers Guild Awards

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced their annual awards on February 17th, with giving away the top prizes to ZERO DARK THIRTY, ARGO and SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN for Original, Adapted and Documentary Feature Screenplay categories respectively. Television winners include BREAKING BAD, LOUIE and GIRLS for Drama, Comedy and New Series categories respectively. Emmy-winning Castle TV star Nathan Fillion hosted the ceremony, which was executive produced by Cort Casady.

Here is the complete list of winners:

FILM

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY: Searching for Sugar Man, Written by Malik Bendjelloul; Sony Pictures Classics

TELEVISION

DRAMA SERIES: Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

COMEDY SERIES: Louie, Written by Pamela Adlon, Vernon Chatman, Louis C.K.; FX

NEW SERIES: Girls, Written by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Lena Dunham, Sarah Heyward, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Jenni Konner, Deborah Schoeneman, Dan Sterling; HBO

EPISODIC DRAMA: “The Other Woman” (Mad Men), Written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY: “Virgin Territory” (Modern Family), Written by Elaine Ko; ABC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL: Hatfields & McCoys, Nights Two and Three, Teleplay by Ted Mann and Ronald Parker, Story by Bill Kerby and Ted Mann; History Channel

LONG FORM – ADAPTED: Game Change, Written by Danny Strong, Based on the book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann; HBO

ANIMATION: “Ned ’N’ Edna’s Blend Agenda” (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; Fox

COMEDY/VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES: Portlandia, Writers: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Karey Dornetto, Jonathan Krisel, Bill Oakley; IFC

COMEDY/VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS: 66th Annual Tony Awards, Written by Dave Boone; Special Material by Paul Greenberg; Opening and Closing Songs by David Javerbaum, Adam Schlesinger; CBS

DAYTIME DRAMA: The Young and the Restless, Written by Amanda Beall, Jeff Beldner, Susan Dansby, Janice Ferri Esser, Jay Gibson, Scott Hamner, Marla Kanelos, Natalie Minardi Slater, Beth Milstein, Michael Montgomery, Anne Schoettle, Linda Schreiber, Sarah K. Smith, Christopher J. Whitesell, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS

CHILDREN'S – EPISODIC & SPECIALS: “The Good Sport” (Sesame Street); Written by Christine Ferraro; PBS

CHILDREN’S – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL: Girl vs. Monster, Teleplay by Annie DeYoung and Ron McGee, Story by Annie DeYoung; Disney Channel

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS: “Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode One” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS: “The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time” (Nova), Telescript by Randall MacLowry, Story by Joseph McMaster and Randall MacLowry; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT: “Tragedy In Colorado: The Movie Theatre Massacre,” Written by Lisa Ferri, Joel Siegel; ABC News

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY: “The Ghost of Joe McCarthy” (Moyers & Company), Written by Bill Moyers, Michael Winship; Thirteen/ WNET

RADIO

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING REPORT: “World News This Year 2011,” Written by Darren Reynolds; ABC News Radio

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY: “Dishin Digital,” Written by Robert Hawley; WCBS-AM

PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ANIMATION

ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION): “Partners,” Written by Dan A. Greenberger; CBS

TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION: “The Oscars” (Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood), Animation by Bob Pook; CBS

VIDEOGAME WRITING

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN VIDEOGAME WRITING: Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, Scriptwriting by Richard Farrese, Jill Murray; Ubisoft

NEW MEDIA WRITING

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING ORIGINAL NEW MEDIA: “The Compromises, Episode 1,” “The Pest, Episode 3,” The Snake, Episode 4,” “The Bonding, Episode 6,” “The Future, Episode 7/Series Finale” (Jack in a Box), Written by Michael Cyril Creighton; jackinaboxsite.com

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING DERIVATIVE NEW MEDIA: “Hide And Seek,” “Keys to the Kingdom,” “The Chosen Ones,” “Parting Shots” (The Walking Dead: Cold Storage), Written by John Esposito; amctv.com

60th Annual Golden Reel Awards

The Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) announced their 60th annual Golden Reel awards on February 17th, 2013 with giving away the top prize to LIFE OF PI, directed and produced by Ang Lee.

Here is the complete list of winners:

MPSE Filmmaker Award: Ang Lee

MPSE Career Achievement Award: John Roesch

FILM

Best Sound Editing: Music in a Feature Film: Life of Pi

Best Sound Editing: Music in a Musical Feature Film: Les Misérables

Best Sound Editing: Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film: Life of Pi

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film: Skyfall

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR in an Animation Feature Film: Wreck-It Ralph

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Foreign Language Film: Rust and Bone

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue, ADR and Music in a Feature Documentary: Last Call at the Oasis

TELEVISION

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in Television: Adventure Time "Card Wars"

Best Sound Editing: Long Form Documentary: Crossfire Hurricane

Best Sound Editing: Long Form Music in Television: Hemingway & Gellhorn

Best Sound Editing: Short Form Music in Television: Fringe "A Short Story About Love"

Best Sound Editing: Long Form Dialogue and ADR in Television: Game of Thrones Season 2 "Valar Morghulis"

Best Sound Editing: Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television (TIE): Game of Thrones Season 2 "Valar Morghulis"; Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden

Best Sound Editing: Long Form Musical in Television: Let It Shine

Best Sound Editing: Short Form Musical in Television: Smash "Hell on Earth"

Best Sound Editing: Short Form Dialogue and ADR in Television: The Newsroom "Amen"

Best Sound Editing: Short Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television: American Horror Story: Asylum "Welcome to Briarcliff"

OTHERS

Best Sound Editing: Computer Episodic Entertainment: Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Best Sound Editing: Computer Interactive Entertainment: Resident Evil 6

Best Sound Editing: Direct to Video - Animation: Justice League: Doom

Best Sound Editing: Direct to Video - Live Action: Fire with Fire

Verna Fields Award in Sound Editing for Student Filmmakers: Head Over Heels

63rd Annual ACE Eddie Awards

The American Cinema Editors (ACE) announced their 63rd Eddie Awards on February 16th, 2013 with giving away the top prize to William Goldenberg for ARGO. Well, this is a remarkable achievement for Goldenberg and it's highly likely that he will win the Best Editing Oscar as well. Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers won the same award for Comedy/Musical genre for their editing in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.

Here is the complete list of winners along with nominations:

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):

• WINNER: Argo - William Goldenberg, A.C.E.


• Life of Pi - Tim Squyres, A.C.E.


• Lincoln - Michael Kahn, A.C.E.


• Skyfall - Stuart Baird, A.C.E.


• Zero Dark Thirty - Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. & William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):

• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Chris Gill


• Les Misérables - Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.


• Moonrise Kingdom - Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.


• WINNER: Silver Linings Playbook - Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers


• Ted - Jeff Freeman, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

• WINNER: Brave - Nicholas C. Smith, A.C.E. & Robert Grahamjones, A.C.E.


• Frankenweenie - Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E. & Mark Solomon


• Rise of the Guardians - Joyce Arrastia


• Wreck-It Ralph - Tim Mertens 

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):

• Samsara - Ron Fricke & Mark Magidson


• WINNER: Searching for Sugar Man - Malik Bendjelloul


• West of Memphis - Billy McMillin

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION):

• WINNER: American Masters – Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune - Pamela Scott Arnold


• The Dust Bowl – Episode 1: The Great Plow Up - Craig Mellish


• The Weight of the Nation: Episode 1: Consequences - Paula Heredia

BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:

• Girls: “Pilot” - Robert Frazen, A.C.E. & Catherine Haight


• Modern Family: “Mistery Date” - Ryan Case


• WINNER: Nurse Jackie: “Handle Your Scandal” - Gary Levy

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:

• WINNER: Breaking Bad: “Dead Freight” - Skip Macdonald A.C.E.


• Breaking Bad: “Gliding Over All” - Kelley Dixon, A.C.E.


• Mad Men: “The Other Woman” - Tom Wilson


• Nashville: “Pilot” - Keith Henderson


• Smash: “Pilot” - Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:

• Homeland: “The Choice” - Terry Kelley, A.C.E.


• Homeland: “State of Independence” - Jordan Goldman


• WINNER: The Newsroom: “We Just Decided To (Pilot)” - Anne McCabe, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:

• Game Change - Lucia Zucchetti, A.C.E.


• Hatfields & McCoys, Part 1 - Don Cassidy


• WINNER: Hemingway & Gellhorn - Walter Murch, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:

• Beyond Scared Straight: “Oklahoma County, OK – The Weight” - Rob Goubeaux, A.C.E., Mark S. Andrew, A.C.E., Paul J. Coyne, A.C.E., Mark Baum, Jeremy Gantz, Johnny Skaare, J.C. Solis & Ken Yankee


• WINNER: Frozen Planet: “Ends of the Earth” - Andy Netley & Sharon Gillooly


• Deadliest Catch: “I Don’t Want to Die” - Josh Earl, A.C.E. & Alex Durham

STUDENT COMPETITION

• Jeremy Hung - Dodge College


• Steven Pristin – AFI


• WINNER: Michael Smith – AFI

49th Annual Cinema Audio Society Awards

The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) announced its awards on February 16th, 2013 with giving away the top prize to Les Misérables, a deserving film to win this award.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Motion Picture – Live Action: Les Misérables

Motion Picture – Animated: Brave

Television Movie/Mini-Series: Hatfields & McCoys: Part 1

Television Series – One Hour: Homeland: Beirut is Back

Television Series – Half-hour: Modern Family: Disneyland

Television – Non-Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Special: The 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Technical Achievement Awards

Technical Achievement Award Production: Sound Devices – 664 Field Production Mixer with Recorder

Technical Achievement Award Post-Production: Dolby® – Atmos