'The Artist,' 'Hugo' big winners at Academy Awards

"The Artist" become only the second silent film ever to win best picture at tonight's 84th annual Academy Awards, during which the movie picked up five awards, as did Martin Scorsese's "Hugo."

"The Artist" was named best picture.

The star-studded ceremony, led by host Billy Crystal, was held tonight in the location formerly known as the Kodak Theatre. Crystal, as he has apt to do, opened the show with a pre-taped segment in which he was inserted in many of this year's nominated films.

The show, which seemed to maintain a quick pace throughout, was punctuated by mostly short speeches and mostly funny interludes.

In addition to best picture, "The Artist" won for best director (Michel Hazanavicius) while French actor Jean Dujardin beat out a tough line-up of nominees led by George Clooney. Also taking home Oscars for their work on the film were Ludovic Bource for original score and Mark Bridges for costume design.

Meanwhile, "Hugo" was awarded for cinematography, art direction, sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects.

In another hotly contested race, 17-time nominee Meryl Streep took home the Oscar for best lead actress for her portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher over Viola Davis, who was nominated for her work in "The Help."

Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, who were tasked with transforming Streep into Thatcher, were honored  with the best makeup Academy Award.

The supporting actor and actress categories both went to the perceived frontrunners in Christopher Plummer for "The Beginners" and Octavia Spencer for "The Help."

'Tree of Life,' 'Boardwalk Empire' awarded by American Society of Cinematographers

Emmanuel Lubezki, Jonathan Freeman, Michael Weaver and Martin Ruhe claimed top honors in the four competitive categories at the 26th annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards celebration Sunday at the Hollywood & Highland Grand Ballroom.

Emmanuel Lubezki was honored.

Lubezki won the ASC Award feature film award for "The Tree of Life." For the second straight year, Freeman earned top accolades in the one-hour television episodic category for HBO’s "Boardwalk Empire." Weaver was the inaugural recipient of the half-hour television episodic category for Showtime’s "Californication," and Ruhe won the TV movie/miniseries award for PBS’ "Page Eight."

The ASC Award for best feature was presented by award-winning actor Antonio Banderas who noted, “As I have found in my career on both sides of the camera, filmmaking at its core is about telling stories with images.”

Lubezki previously won the ASC Award in 2007 for "Children of Men," and was also nominated in 2000 for "Sleepy Hollow."

The other nominees in the feature film category were Guillaume Schiffman, AFC ("The Artist"), Jeff Cronenweth, ASC ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), Robert Richardson, ASC ("Hugo") and Hoyte van Hoytema, FSF, NSC ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy").

Currently onscreen in "The Artist," James Cromwell and Penelope Ann Miller presented Freeman the Outstanding Achievement Award for "Boardwalk Empire" (“21″). This is the third ASC Award for Freeman, who has won for "Boardwalk Empire" (2011), and for the telefilm "Homeland Security" (2005). His accolades include additional ASC nominations for "Boardwalk Empire" (2011), "Prince Street" (1998), "Strange Justice" (2000) and "Taken" (2003).

'The Artist' wins seven awards at BAFTAs including best picture, director

"The Artist" picked up seven awards including best picture at the 64th BAFTA Awards, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards, held today in the Royal Opera House in Covent Harden.

"The Artist" won 7 awards Sunday.

The silent film, which had earned 12 nominations, also took home the prize for best leading actor for Jean Dujardin and best director for Michel Hazanavicius, as well as original screenplay, cinematography, original music and costume design.

Meanwhile, the spy thriller "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was named outstanding British film for the year and was also awarded for best original screenplay.

Meryl Streep won best leading actress for her role as former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The supporting categories went to the presumed frontrunners in Christopher Plummer ("The Beginners") and Octavia Spencer ("The Help").

In the animated category, Gore Verbinski's "Rango" beat out "The Adventures of Tintin" for the prize.

Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" was awarded for production design and sound. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," took home the prize for special effects.

The award show will air in the U.S. on BBC America tonight (Sunday) at 8 p.m. and again at 11:40.

A full list of the winners and nominees can be seen below:

'Rango' scores at Visual Effects Society Awards

Gore Verbinski's animated film "Rango" was the top winner at the 10th annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards held Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

"Rango" won four awards Tuesday.

The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.

"Rango" took home four awards, sweeping the animated film categories with wins for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture.

In the live action arena, "Hugo," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" all took home two awards in the feature motion picture categories, while "Boardwalk Empire" and "Game of Thrones" each garnered a pair of awards in the television categories.

"Apes" won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture while "Hugo" won Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture.

More than a thousand attendees--filmmakers, producers, directors and members of the visual effects community--gathered to recognize the year’s best work and the artists who created it.

Stan Lee received the Lifetime Achievement Award and visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull received the Georges Méliès Award at the show, which was hosted by Patton Oswalt. Antonio Banderas, Lou Ferrigno, directors Chris Miller, Marc Webb and Jennifer Yuh Nelson, and a host of luminaries were on hand to present awards. A surprise appearance by Martin Scorsese, whose film Hugo received two awards, was one of the evening’s highlights.

'Harry Potter,' 'Hugo,' 'Dragon Tattoo' win at Art Director Guild awards

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) presented its awards Saturday night helping to set two clear front runners for the Art Direction Academy Award.

"Harry Potter" was among the winners.

The guild splits its feature awards into three categories: period, fantasy and contemporary.

"Hugo" took home the award for period films, while "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" was awarded in the fantasy category and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" in the contemporary category.

"Hugo" and "Harry Potter" are among the five nominees for Best Art Direction at the Academy Awards along with "The Artist" as well as "War Horse" and "Midnight in Paris," neither of which were nominated by the guild.

In addition to Saturday night's win in the fantasy category, this year’s Art Directors Guild Cinematic Imagery Award was presented to the principal team behind the Harry Potter films as a whole, including producers David Heyman and David Barron; director David Yates; creator and author J.K. Rowling; screenwriter Steve Kloves; production designer Stuart Craig; art director Neil Lamont; and set decorator Stephenie McMillan.

In the realm of television, HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" was awarded for One-Hour Single Camera Television Series and ABC's "Modern Family" for Episode of a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series. HBO's "Mildred Pierce" took home the prize for Television Movie or Mini-Series.

The black-tie ceremony announcing winners took place at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with Paula Poundstone serving as host for the third consecutive year.

A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Emmy Award winning production designer Tony Walton. In addition, the ADG inducted the following legendary production designers from the past into its Hall of Fame: Robert Boyle, William Darling and Alfred Junge.

See below for a full list of nominees and winners.

Academy announces eight science and technical awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that eight scientific and technical achievements represented by 28 individual award recipients will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation at the Beverly Wilshire on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The ceremony will be held Feb. 11.

Unlike other Academy Awards to be presented this year, achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards need not have been developed and introduced during 2011. Rather, the achievements must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.

The Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements are:

Technical Achievement Award (Academy Certificate)

To Andrew Clinton and Mark Elendt for the invention and integration of micro-voxels in the Mantra software.
This work allowed, for the first time, unified and efficient rendering of volumetric effects such as smoke and clouds, together with other computer graphics objects, in a micro-polygon imaging pipeline.

'50/50,' 'Young Adult,' 'Bridesmaids' score Writers Guild Award nominations

The winners will be announced Feb. 19.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2011.

Winners will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, Feb. 19, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York.
 
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment
Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios
Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics
Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight
Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures
The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures
Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures
Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Better This World, Written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega; Loteria Films
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek; Oscilloscope Pictures
Nostalgia for the Light, Written by Patricio Guzmán; Icarus Films
Pina, Screenplay by Wim Wenders; Sundance Selects
Position Among the Stars, Script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich; HBO Films
Senna, Written by Manish Pandey; Producers Distribution Agency

'Harry Potter,' 'The Artist,' 'Drive' among Art Director Guild award nominees

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) on Tuesday announced nominations in nine categories of production design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos competing in the ADG’s 16th annual Excellence in Production Design Awards for 2011.

The nominations were announced by ADG Council President Thomas A. Walsh and awards co-producers Tom Wilkins and Greg Grande. Deadline for final voting, which is done online, is Feb. 2.

The award winners will be announced Saturday, Feb. 4.

The black-tie ceremony announcing winners will take place Saturday, Feb. 4, at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with Paula Poundstone serving as host for the third consecutive year.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Emmy Award winning production designer Tony Walton. In addition, the ADG will induct the following legendary production designers from the past into its Hall of Fame: Robert Boyle, William Darling and Alfred Junge.

This year’s Art Directors Guild Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to the principal team behind the Harry Potter films including producers David Heyman and David Barron; director David Yates; creator and author J.K. Rowling; screenwriter Steve Kloves; production designer Stuart Craig; art director Neil Lamont; and set decorator Stephenie McMillan. Filmmaker Cindy Peters’ will present a special 75th Anniversary film in eight chapters that celebrates inspirational achievements in design.

'The Artist,' 'Hugo,' 'Bridesmaids' among Producers Guild's top films of 2011

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced Tuesday the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards.

The categories include: The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television. The documentary film category and other television category nominations were already announced by the Guild in December 2011.

All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on Jan. 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

This year, the Producers Guild will also award special honors to Leslie Moonves (Milestone Award), Steven Spielberg (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Don Mischer (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Stan Lee (Vanguard Award), and IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (The Stanley Kramer Award). The 2012 Producers Guild Awards co-chairs are Paula Wagner and Michael Manheim.

AWARD SEASON: The Academy Award nominations

Phew, what a week to take off. Lots to catch up on, so let's get started.

Of course the biggest news of the week was the announcement of the Academy Award nominees.

After streaking through the Guild nominations, The Dark Knight was left in the dust by the Academy voters when it came to the big awards, with the exception of the sure bet nomination of Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor.

Likewise, Wall-E couldn't dig himself out of the animated category to compete for the big award either.

Instead, we have Golden Globe-winner Slumdog Millionaire up against The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (which picked up the most nominations of any film this year), Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader.

All five films' directors--Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Ron Howard, Gus Van Sant and Stephen Daldry--are up for Best Director.

Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) will vie for Best Actor.

Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Meryl Streep (Doubt) and Kate Winslet (The Reader) are up for Best Actress.

For a few list of the nominees, click here.

AWARDS SEASON: Slumdog, Winslet big winners at the Globes

It was a banner day at the Golden Globes for the Slumdog Millionaire, as the film took home all four awards it had been nominated for, including Best Picture - Drama and Best Director.

The India-based drama held off competition from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader and Revolutionary Road in the final award announced during the three-hour ceremony.

Director Danny Boyle was also awarded, as were Simon Beaufoy for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture and A. R. Rahman for Best Original Score.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona was awarded for Best Picture in the comedy/musical category.

In the acting awards, Kate Winslet ended her streak of not winning the big prizes in a very big way, collecting not only the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the World War II drama The Reader, but also Best Actress - Drama for Revolutionary Road.

Mickey Rourke was awarded for Best Actor - Drama for his role in The Wrestler, and ended up thanking everyone, including his dogs.

The bittersweet moment of the evening, however, was when Director Christopher Nolan accepted the Best Supporting Actor award for Heath Ledger.

"All of us who worked with Heath on 'The Dark Knight' accept this with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride," Nolan said. "After Heath passed on, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema, but with the extraordinary response to his work that we've seen all over the world, I for one will start to be able to look less at the gap in the future and at the incredible place Heath made for himself with his talent and his dedication."

Ledger's award and Nolan's words were met by a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd.

In the comedy/musical arena, Collin Farrell won Best Actor for his In Bruges role as a conflicted hitman, while Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky took home Best Actress.

Best Song went to Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler" in The Wrestler.

Finally, Wall-E took home the award for Best Animated Feature.

AWARDS SEASON: Directors give their top 5

Christopher Nolan and The Dark Knight were final card to complete their trips today with the Directors Guild of America.

The DGA announced the five nominees for Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film.

"A film is a collaboration, but it is the director's energy and vision that brings the elements of script, performance and production into a satisfying totality. Today's nominees demonstrate how vision, combined with skill and talent, creates magic on the screen," said DGA Third Vice President Taylor Hackford.

"What makes this award truly meaningful to directors is the knowledge that only this award is decided solely by their peers – the men and women who live the passion, sweat and fear that goes into creating feature films."

Nolan will be up against Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire, David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon and Gus Van Sant for Milk.

The winner will be announced at the 61st Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

It should be noted that only six times since the DGA Awards began in 1948 has the feature film winner not gone on to win the Best Director Academy Award.

AWARDS SEASON: Producers announce their favorites

In an awards season that has already has its share of surprises, the Producers Guild of America dropped another one today, announcing Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight as one of its top movies of the year.

The film one was of five nominees for the top prize at the Producers Guild Awards, which will be presented Saturday, Jan. 24.

In addition to Nolan, Charles Roven and Emma Thomas for The Dark Knight, the other nominees were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin), Frost/Nixon (Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner), Milk (Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen) and Slumdog Millionaire (Christian Colson).

The nominated feature documentaries were Man on Wire (Simon Chinn), Standard Operating Procedure (Julie Bilson Ahlberg and Errol Morris) and Trouble the Water (Carl Deal and Tia Lessin).

Bolt (Clark Spencer), Kung Fu Panda (Melissa Cobb) and Wall-E (Jim Morris) are up for animated feature.

Over in TV land, Curb Your Enthusiam, Entourage, The Office, 30 Rocks and Weeds are up for comedy, and Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, Lost and and Madmen for drama.