Oscar Scoop: Beyoncé, Zac Efron & More to Sing

Marc Malkin

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Host Hugh Jackman won't be the only star singing and dancing at Sunday's Academy Awards.

Several sources say that the Aussie hunk will be joined on stage by Beyoncé, High School Musical stars and real-life couple Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and Mamma Mia!'s Amanda Seyfried. Dominic Cooper, Seyfried's costar and rumored boyfriend, will also likely participate, but I'm told scheduling conflicts still have to be resolved to make it work.

One source tells me that Jackman and Beyoncé have been rehearsing at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City.

The entire group begins rehearsals tonight here in Hollywood, according to another source.

The song-and-dance routine is being directed by Jackman's Australia director Baz Luhrmann. No stranger to musicals, Luhrman's credits include Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. Jackman reportedly requested to have Luhrmann stage the Oscar number.

As I first told you earlier today, Efron is also expected to present Best Original Song.

No word yet on what they'll singing and dancing to. First-time show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon have kept a tight lid on their plans, but have continually stressed that they intend to shake things up on the movie industry's biggest night of the year.

Reps for the stars and the Oscars did not comment.

The 81st annual Academy Awards will telecast live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090218/en_tv_eo/100397

And the Oscar goes to Matilda if Ledger wins

By STEVE POND

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – If Heath Ledger is named best supporting actor at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, his daughter, 3-year-old Matilda Rose Ledger, will become the owner of the Oscar statuette.

But it won't really be hers until her 18th birthday on Oct. 28, 2023 — and even then, only if she signs a contract.

Matilda, daughter of the late Ledger and actress Michelle Williams, has been designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the eventual owner of her father's Oscar, should he win for his portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

The actor died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year at the age of 28.

But Ledger's nomination, and his daughter's young age, led to one of the trickiest situations the academy has dealt with in its eight decades of awarding posthumous Oscars.

"It's complicated, because there are two different questions that have to be answered," says Bruce Davis, executive director of the academy. "First, we have to decide who gets the job of accepting the award onstage on the night of the ceremony. And then there's the question of the eventual disposition of the posthumous statuette, which may not stay with the person who accepts it."

In Ledger's case, says Davis, the second question was the hardest to answer.

Academy tradition calls for a posthumous statuette to go to the spouse, or, if there is no living spouse, to the oldest child. Ledger wasn't married, and Matilda is his only child.

Yet because she is only 3, Matilda is legally unable to sign the winner's agreement — a contract required of all nominees that says the recipient will not resell his or her Oscar without first offering it back to the academy for $1. The agreement is the academy's way of limiting what might otherwise be a lively secondary market in Oscars.

"From our point of view, somebody has to sign the winner's agreement, and a 3-year-old can't do that," says Davis. "Nor can a parent sign any kind of legal document that obligates a child to do something once they turn 18. I didn't know that before we looked into it, but it's a good law."

After conversations with Williams and with Ledger's family in Australia, the academy hit on a solution: "In the event that Heath Ledger should be selected as the supporting actor recipient, the statuette will be held in trust for his daughter by her mother, Michelle Williams, until Matilda reaches the age of 18," says Davis. "At that point, she may execute what we call an heir's agreement and keep the statuette forever — or, if she chooses not to do that, it will return to us."

In other words, the Oscar statuette can spend the next 15 years with Matilda, but her mother, who has signed the academy's agreement, will be the legal custodian. When Matilda is old enough, she can claim ownership by signing the agreement. If she does so, she'll become the official owner and will be legally bound not to sell her Oscar; if she opts not to sign, the statuette will revert to the academy without any payment.

As for who would accept the award, that — like many other aspects of the ceremony — is a matter that show producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon are keeping under wraps. Davis will only say that tradition calls for a posthumous Oscar to be accepted either by a close relative or "an artist who was close to the nominee, and who can speak credibly for him or her." (The last posthumous Oscar went to cinematographer Conrad L. Hall in 2002, and was accepted by Hall's son.)

"We always had a very good idea of what we should do and who was going to accept," says Gil Cates, who produced 14 Oscar shows that included nine posthumous nominations and three wins. "You need to line up someone who's respectable to avoid any embarrassing or difficult moments, and for me it was always easy to agree with the academy on a legitimate person."

The decision was also simple for this year's other posthumous nominees, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, producers of best-picture nominee "The Reader." If the movie wins the top prize, the other nominated producers, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, will also accept on behalf of Pollack and Minghella, and the statuettes will then be given to their widows.

Faced with the prospect of a minor potentially taking possession of Ledger's Oscar, the academy has in recent days revisited the way it handled underage winners such as Tatum O'Neal, who was 10 when she won best supporting actress for 1973's "Paper Moon," and Anna Paquin, who in 1994 won the best supporting actress award for "The Piano" at age 11.

"What we've tended to do is have them sign anyway, and then get back to them after they turn 18 and ask them to re-execute the agreement," Davis says. "I would love to tell you that that has happened in every single case, but your call prompted a little research. And in a couple of cases, we've never completed the circle."

In other words, there may be some Oscars out there not under academy control?

"I don't expect any trouble," says Davis with a laugh, "but, in fact, yes."

___

On the Net:

http://www.oscars.org

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_en_ot/oscars_if_ledger_wins

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing every Heart out there, whether it be Creepy, Happy, Lonely, Sarcastic or just Emotional....

Happy Valentine's Day! ;)


Regards, Zeeshan Ahmed.

BAFTAs Put "Win" in Winslet, Extend Slumdog's Reign

Gina Serpe - ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If there was ever anyone not in need of a home court advantage, it was Kate Winslet heading into tonight's Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Well, her and anyone who had anything to do with Slumdog Millionaire.

Like the SAGs and Golden Globes before them, the BAFTAs did their part to keep putting the "win" in Winslet, naming The Reader star the year's Leading Actress over, among other notable contenders, herself.

Winslet was nominated twice in the category, for both The Reader and Revolutionary Road, all but guaranteeing Angelina Jolie (who turned up with fellow ultimately snubbed nominee Brad Pitt), Kristin Scott Thomas and Meryl Streep yet another night in which to practice their "it's an honor just to be nominated" faces.

The cast of Slumdog Millionaire, meanwhile, practiced no such fixed smiles: The film continued its awards show dominance, racking up seven awards, including one of the most coveted of the night, Best Film.

And the movie that actually managed to upset the juggernaut for the night's other main award...

Man On Wire. The documentary about the Frenchman who staged a secret high-wire walk between the two World Trade Center towers was the surprise winner of Outstanding British Film.

While Slumdog scored the lion's share of the night's prizes, followed none too closely by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned three, they failed to make an impact on the acting categories.

Though not on the speeches, thanks to Best Director winner Danny Boyle.

"David Lean said you should announce your ambition for the film in the first five minutes," Boyle said. "In that spirit, I'd like to announce my ambition for this speech: My father's power went out last night. A big shout-out to everyone who helped him run the extension cable in so he could watch this tonight."

As for Winslet, the actress kept her speech brief, possibly to avoid a repeat of her post-Globes tongue-lashing from her stiff upper-lipped countrymen.

"Thank you very, very much," she said. "To get this award at home, this really means a great deal to me. Thank you BAFTA."

Winslet also thanked her "mum and dad," who were in the audience, but said she couldn't look at them during her speech as she would likely "burst into tears."

"I want to thank Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. You are much missed today, and you will be much missed for years to come."

Meanwhile, joining Winslet in the winner's circle was Vicky Cristina Barcelona's Penélope Cruz, who took home the Supporting Actress prize, The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger, who continued his posthumous domination in the Supporting Actor category and The Wrestler's Mickey Rourke, who walked away with the Lead Actor nod.

"It's a pretty statue," Rourke said, before thanking director Darren Aronofsky for giving him a second chance despite his having "f---ed up my career for 15 years. Such a pleasure to be here and be out of the darkness."

While Rourke did not thank his dogs this time around, he did remember to thank costar Marisa Tomei for "being brave enough to take your clothes off all the time."

Aw, he shouldn't have.

Surprisingly, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were the only films of the night to score multiple awards.

Here's the complete list of winners for the 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards:

• Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire • Outstanding British Film: Man On Wire • Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire • Leading Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler • Leading Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader • Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight • Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges • Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire • Animated Film: Wall-E • Film Not in the English Language: I've Loved You So Long (France) • Music: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire • Editing: Slumdog Millionaire • Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire • Production Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Costume Design: The Duchess • Sound: Slumdog Millionaire • Special Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Makeup & Hair: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Short Animation: Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death • Short Film: September • The Carl Foreman Award (special achievement for first feature film): Steve McQueen, writer/director, Hunger • The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by public): Noel Clarke • Academy Fellowship: Terry Gilliam • Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Pinewood Studios/Shepperton Studios

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090208/en_top_eo/98893

BAFTAs Put "Win" in Winslet, Extend Slumdog's Reign

Gina Serpe - ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) – If there was ever anyone not in need of a home court advantage, it was Kate Winslet heading into tonight's Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Well, her and anyone who had anything to do with Slumdog Millionaire.

Like the SAGs and Golden Globes before them, the BAFTAs did their part to keep putting the "win" in Winslet, naming The Reader star the year's Leading Actress over, among other notable contenders, herself.

Winslet was nominated twice in the category, for both The Reader and Revolutionary Road, all but guaranteeing Angelina Jolie (who turned up with fellow ultimately snubbed nominee Brad Pitt), Kristin Scott Thomas and Meryl Streep yet another night in which to practice their "it's an honor just to be nominated" faces.

The cast of Slumdog Millionaire, meanwhile, practiced no such fixed smiles: The film continued its awards show dominance, racking up seven awards, including one of the most coveted of the night, Best Film.

And the movie that actually managed to upset the juggernaut for the night's other main award...

Man On Wire. The documentary about the Frenchman who staged a secret high-wire walk between the two World Trade Center towers was the surprise winner of Outstanding British Film.

While Slumdog scored the lion's share of the night's prizes, followed none too closely by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which earned three, they failed to make an impact on the acting categories.

Though not on the speeches, thanks to Best Director winner Danny Boyle.

"David Lean said you should announce your ambition for the film in the first five minutes," Boyle said. "In that spirit, I'd like to announce my ambition for this speech: My father's power went out last night. A big shout-out to everyone who helped him run the extension cable in so he could watch this tonight."

As for Winslet, the actress kept her speech brief, possibly to avoid a repeat of her post-Globes tongue-lashing from her stiff upper-lipped countrymen.

"Thank you very, very much," she said. "To get this award at home, this really means a great deal to me. Thank you BAFTA."

Winslet also thanked her "mum and dad," who were in the audience, but said she couldn't look at them during her speech as she would likely "burst into tears."

"I want to thank Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. You are much missed today, and you will be much missed for years to come."

Meanwhile, joining Winslet in the winner's circle was Vicky Cristina Barcelona's Penélope Cruz, who took home the Supporting Actress prize, The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger, who continued his posthumous domination in the Supporting Actor category and The Wrestler's Mickey Rourke, who walked away with the Lead Actor nod.

"It's a pretty statue," Rourke said, before thanking director Darren Aronofsky for giving him a second chance despite his having "f---ed up my career for 15 years. Such a pleasure to be here and be out of the darkness."

While Rourke did not thank his dogs this time around, he did remember to thank costar Marisa Tomei for "being brave enough to take your clothes off all the time."

Aw, he shouldn't have.

Surprisingly, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were the only films of the night to score multiple awards.

Here's the complete list of winners for the 2009 Orange British Academy Film Awards:

• Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire • Outstanding British Film: Man On Wire • Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire • Leading Actor: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler • Leading Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader • Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight • Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona • Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, In Bruges • Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire • Animated Film: Wall-E • Film Not in the English Language: I've Loved You So Long (France) • Music: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire • Editing: Slumdog Millionaire • Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire • Production Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Costume Design: The Duchess • Sound: Slumdog Millionaire • Special Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Makeup & Hair: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • Short Animation: Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death • Short Film: September • The Carl Foreman Award (special achievement for first feature film): Steve McQueen, writer/director, Hunger • The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by public): Noel Clarke • Academy Fellowship: Terry Gilliam • Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Pinewood Studios/Shepperton Studios

Link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20090208/en_top_eo/98893