Ellen DeGeneres recruits Big Sean, Migos, and more rappers to appear in the video for “Read It,” a song about the joys of reading created by Michael Bonner and his second grade students.
‘He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars,’ Academy Awards president Tom Sherak says By Kara Warner Brian Grazer Photo: MTV News With all the Oscar news making the rounds this week, you would think that the 84th annual Academy Awards were just around the corner. Luckily, we still have more than three months until the live telecast on February 26, and more than a month until nominations are announced. The latest news coming straight from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is that Brett Ratner, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday, has been replaced with producer Brian Grazer , who will co-produce the telecast with industry veteran Don Mischer. “Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work,” Academy president Tom Sherak said in a statement posted on Oscars.org . “He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars.” “I am thrilled to welcome Brian Grazer as my partner and that we will be collaborating to produce an outstanding show,” echoed Mischer in the statement. “It’s very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career,” said Grazer. “Don is a legend, and I am excited to work with him.” Grazer’s credentials seem a good fit for producing Hollywood’s “biggest night.” He’s been nominated four times (for writing “Splash,” and Best Picture nods for “Apollo 13” and “Frost/Nixon.”) and won the Best Picture Oscar in 2001 for “A Beautiful Mind.” Coincidentally, Grazer has worked with recently resigned host, Eddie Murphy , on “The Nutty Professor” and “Tower Heist.” Rumor has it that the Academy and Grazer hope that Murphy will reconsider his decision not to be involved in the program. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Despite its stellar reviews and near universal approval, Toy Story 3 is still looking like a long shot for a Best Picture Oscar, and will likely end up settling for Best Animated Feature. But after these clever Oscar campaign posters, let’s at least give Disney some points for effort! The promos feature various stills from the film that bring to mind (sort of) previous Best Picture winners, from On the Waterfront to… Silence of the Lambs . Take a look.
Enough people found The English Patient sufficiently romantic to win the film a Best Picture Oscar, but for those who never bought into the love story, like Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes, here’s some dish you might enjoy. The Daily Mail is reporting that the titular Laszlo de Almásy was actually gay (well of course, with that name !), in love with a male Nazi, and had never slept with any women, let alone one of the Kristin Scott Thomas variety. So, for the record: The English Patient is gay, Will Smith is not Gaye . Glad that’s settled. [ Daily Mail via Joe My God ]