Adam Sandler has set a new high mark for low brow comedy. The actor picked up 11 Razzie Award nominations last night, shattering the previous record (five) held by Eddie Murphy and setting himself up as the clear favorite for these anti-Academy Awards, as the ceremony honors the very worst in movies each year. Overall, the film Jack and Jill garnered an impressive 12 nominations, including worst film, actor and actress for Sandler; worst supporting actress for Katie Holmes. and worst supporting actor for the great Al Pacino. Check out the full list of Razzie nominees – which includes Sarah Palin! – below. WORST PICTURE • Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star •New Year’s Eve •Transformers: Dark of the Moon •The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 WORST ACTOR • Adam Sandler, Just Go With It & Jack and Jill • Nick Swardson, Bucky Larson • Russell Brand, Arthur • Taylor Lautner, Abduction & Breaking Dawn • Nicholas Cage, Drive Angry 3-D, Season of the Witch, & Trespass WORST ACTRESS • Adam Sandler, Just Go With It & Jack and Jill • Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin: The Undefeated • Sarah Jessica Parker, I Don’t Know How She Does It & New Year’s Eve • Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 • Martin Lawrence, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR • Al Pacino, Jack and Jill • Patrick Dempsey, Transformers: Dark of the Moon • James Franco, Your Highness, • Nick Swardson, Jack and Jill & Just Go With It • Ken Jeong for four movies—Big Mommas,The Hangover: Part II, Transformers & Zookeeper. WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS • David Spade, Jack and Jill • Martin Lawrence, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son • Nicole Kidman, Just Go With It • Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Transformers: Dark of the Moon • Katie Holmes, Jack and Jill WORST SCREEN ENSEMBLES • The Entire Cast of Bucky Larson • The Entire Cast of Jack and Jill • The Entire Cast of New Year’s Eve • The Entire Cast of Transformers • The Entire Cast of Breaking Dawn WORST SCREEN COUPLE • Nicholas Cage & “anyone sharing the screen with him in any of his three 2011 films” • Shia LaBeouf & Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Transformers • Adam Sandler & Jennifer Aniston or Brooklyn Decker, Just Go With It • Adam Sandler & Katie Holmes, Al Pacino or himself, Jack and Jill • Kristen Stewart & Taylor Lautner or Robert Pattinson, Breaking Dawn. WORST PREQUEL, SEQUEL, REMAKE OR RIPOFF • Arthur • Bucky Larson • The Hangover: Part II • Jack and Jill • Breaking Dawn WORST DIRECTOR • Michael Bay, Transformers • Tom Brady, Bucky Larson • Bill Condon, Breaking Dawn • Dennis Dugan, Jack and Jill & Just Go With It • Garry Marshall, New Year’s Eve WORST SCREENPLAY • Bucky Larson • Jack and Jill • New Year’s Eve • Transformers • Breaking Dawn
Will The Artist defeat The Descendants ? Will Billy Crystal make us laugh? Will George Clooney outhunk Brad Pitt? Will anyone be able to pronounce the last name of director Michel Hazanavicius? The 84th annual Academy Awards get underway in just a few hours and THG will be live blogging the ceremony. Bookmark this page now and return as soon as the opening credits roll to join in a discussion of the winners, the fashion, the jokes and the horrible music numbers. We’ll see you then! WHICH NOMINEE WILL WIN BEST PICTURE?
The Academy Awards telecast stopped being a one-screen experience years ago. An Oscar viewing party is all well and good, but with a computer or phone nearby, a virtual theater full of people will enhance the experience from the first red-carpet arrivals to the music playing over the Best Picture winner’s speech. Yes, your friends are witty and can also fetch you a beer, but the best jokes about the winners, losers and everything in between are on Twitter. Some professionals make watching the Oscars simply worth the hours (and hours) spent. Doug Benson is one of them. A stand-up comedian and writer — including penning jokes for award shows — Benson began recording a weekly podcast called Doug Loves Movies in 2006. Movieline talked with the devoted movie fan about the fleeting art of live-tweeting cinema’s greatest night, who the best hosts are and whether the Oscars ever really pull off comedy. Are you live-tweeting the Oscars this year? How many ceremonies (Oscars, Golden Globes) have you done? I’m planning on it. As long as I can get Internet access wherever I’m watching the show. … I live-tweet every show that I can, as long as everyone is seeing it live at the same time. The Grammys are on a tape delay on the West Coast, so it’s not fun live-tweeting that when the East Coast saw it all hours before. What’s been the entertainment value of the Oscar ceremonies of the past few years? There is very little entertainment value. That’s why I live-tweet during it. To entertain myself and anyone else who might find the whole thing boring. I love movies, and I love that the Oscars honor filmmakers that do great work, but the whole thing is usually a fucking slog. The Golden Globes were so boring this year, I lost interest in live-tweeting it halfway through. Do you think the Twitter/comedian commentariat builds up the mythology of the Oscars? It makes the Oscars more tolerable, for sure. Which is good for the Oscars, I guess. When the jokes are lacking on the show, people can turn to Twitter for some laughs, instead of turning the show off and finding something of value to do with their night. What do you think about the relationship between comedy and the Oscars? Having written for several award shows, I know that banter is tough to pull off, even by performers known for their comedic chops. Because the whole setup is so artificial, and the audience in the auditorium really doesn’t give a shit about hearing jokes. They just want to win or lose and go to a party. Should most presenters stick to non-comedic intros? That can be even more deadly than trying to be funny. When the Oscars trot out an actor to tell us how sound editing works, the home audience trots to the kitchen or the bathroom. My favorite intro I ever wrote for someone, which was actually approved and said by Jennifer Jason Leigh on the Independent Spirit Awards: “Without screenwriting, movies would be plays.” Is there anything you’re looking forward to at the Oscars this year? Billy Crystal singing about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It’s always weird to me that he sings a medley about nominated movies, even if it’s serious shit like Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan . Where would you rank Billy Crystal among the past Oscar hosts? Definitely up there with Johnny Carson and Bob Hope as the best. Those guys know how to say something funny after something silly just happened, and in a self-deprecating way. I liked when Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosted together. I even liked the David Letterman year. A comedian is always going to be the best choice. Follow Doug Benson’s Academy Awards live-tweeting at @DougBenson . [Photo: Robyn Von Swank]
Meet Otis the Oscar Cat, Movieline’s resident feline awards prognosticator. Like the majority of Academy members , he’s white, male, and owns a black tie; his tastes tend toward the traditional, although he’ll bite at the occasional tasty treat. To get an inside line on Sunday’s Best Picture winner, we consulted Otis for his Oscar picks — will the Academy Award go to The Artist , starring that rascally pup Uggie ? Or perhaps War Horse , by a nose? Presented with all nine Best Picture nominees — The Artist , The Descendants , Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close , The Help , Hugo , Midnight in Paris , Moneyball , Tree of Life , and War Horse — Otis weighed each film’s merits. Treats were involved, but don’t we all get a bit peckish when sorting out life’s big questions? As he considered the nominees with care and deliberation, Otis went back and forth between his favorites before landing firmly, and with no outside influence, on his ultimate selection. Otis is sure that his peers in the Academy went through a similar process with their vote. Otis the Oscar Cat considers the field of nominees. He’s drawn to War Horse , but… ” The Descendants , man. I do so adore Alexander Payne.” ” All the other cats loved The Help ; it ruined chocolate pie for me forever.” ” Hugo took me back to the whimsy of my youth, although those 3-D glasses are so very cumbersome.” “This is hard, isn’t it, shadow?” “Ooooh, Brad Pitt!” In the end, there is no contest. Otis picks The Artist with two paws up! “Berenice, mon amour!” Bonus pick: A Cat in Paris for Best Animated Feature! And with a beatific stare into the distance and a lock on this year’s kitty Oscar pool, Otis the Oscar Cat bids adieu until next year.
When the Academy announced its nominations last month for Best Animated Feature, two waves of surprise washed over Oscar watchers: Not only was Pixar left out in the cold for the first time in its history, but also two lesser-known films from abroad made the cut in the category: the noir-y French entry A Cat in Paris and the Spanish-language jazz-romance Chico and Rita . The directors of those films, along with Kung Fu Panda 2 helmer Jennifer Yuh Nelson, one of few female directors nominated this year, spoke with Movieline about the recognition from the Academy, technologies such as 3-D and motion capture, and their Oscar night excitement. So get to know three of the filmmakers from the animation community who could go home with a trophy on Sunday: For A Cat in Paris we have Alain Gagnol, who co-directed with Jean-Loup Felicioli, and for Chico and Rita we have Fernando Trueba, who directed along with Tono Errando and Javier Mariscal. (Fellow nominees Chris Miller [ Puss in Boots ] and Gore Verbinski [ Rango ] were not available to participate.) Animation nominees seem to have the most fun at the Academy Awards. What are you looking forward to most on Oscar Sunday? GAGNOL: Actually, Hollywood is the opposite of my world, so everything is amazing, incredible, and funny. But the most impressive part is to see, at the reach of my hand, some of my favorite directors. Scorsese and Spielberg gave me the desire to make movies. They gave me the strength to make my dreams come true. NELSON: I’m looking forward to a whole lot of people-watching. And going on a seriously cool date with the husband. TRUEBA: Well, being nominated is already a big prize for us. I didn’t know the animation nominees were supposed to have the most fun? How do you feel about the Best Picture category being expanded to nine films but having animation shut out? GAGNOL: For too many people, animated films are not genuine cinema. But I don’t think that is the problem here. I have to admit that without young children, most adults are not going to watch animated movies. They are concerned these films won’t have anything for them, and they will be bored. I also think that because there’s no such thing as a human face in animated cinema, seeing the actors and actresses in live-action films are very fascinating for the audience, and they may not think they have those celebrity images to relate to. NELSON: I think that the movies nominated are very deserving, and that the number spices it up. I would love to see animated films widen from a realm reserved for family entertainment and become just a technique used in all ranges of cinema. Once that happens, I think it will show up regularly in all categories. TRUEBA: I didn’t like it. To me [more nominations] is a wrong decision, and I don’t know anyone who prefers it this way. I think the most important prize has lost a lot of his charm. It’s almost impossible to know all of them. Too, too many. It’s much better [with] five. Do you see the Academy’s recent rule about motion-capture films as an attempt to emphasize traditional hand-drawn animation? GAGNOL: Computers are so useful that they tend to be everywhere. But they are perfect, and the limits of life are not an issue for them. Therefore, sometimes human beings seem to have been forgotten in the process. Hand-drawn animation is far from perfect but we can feel the sensitivity of the animator. But I don’t think that one kind of animation is better than the other one. After all, the most important thing is the story we want to tell. Computers are still not able to write stories. NELSON: The films chosen show a wide range of techniques, not just hand-drawn. Three of them are CG, so it’s nice to see that such different films were recognized. But computer or not, these films were created frame-by-frame by animators. Some mo-cap is so heavily worked by animators that it may as well be full animation. Whereas others are very automated. The question then becomes one of artistry. TRUEBA: Maybe, animation has today many different techniques and approaches. And it is not easy to dictate the rules now to such a complex field. But maybe something should be done. Several live-action and animated films nominated this year, including top nominee Hugo , were released in 3-D. In your view, does 3-D help or hurt a film’s chances of taking home an Oscar? GAGNOL: I’m not a great fan of 3-D movies. In my opinion, it doesn’t bring anything really interesting to cinema. A well-composed picture can give all the feelings needed by a story. When a movie is good, you already have the feeling of being a part of it. NELSON: 3-D is a cinematic tool that can be used or abused. Used well, it is a true enhancement of the film. I enjoy seeing the boundaries being pushed on how we can simulate an immersive experience. Like surround sound, immersive picture can really make you feel the film all the more. But it has to be done well. TRUEBA: I really hate 3-D. This stuff is invented every decade and after a while, people get bored of it. For me 3-D makes movies lose their nature. It’s just for children and people who go occasionally to movies. Real moviegoers don’t need 3-D. And personally I can’t see 3-D. I’m strabic !!! Maybe you can assist some moviegoers in filling out their ballots: Who will win for Best Animated Short film? GAGNOL: I’m sorry I can’t answer that question because I haven’t yet had the opportunity to watch these films. NELSON: Oh please, I may be working for some of these people someday. I don’t want any of them mad at me. TRUEBA: La Luna. Who is accompanying you to the ceremony? GAGNOL: As I am coming from France, I think my jet lag will be with me all along. NELSON: My sweet husband will be with me, making sure I don’t trip in my heels. Also, since DWA has two films nominated, there will be a posse of great people including Melissa Cobb the producer of KFP2 , and Raymond Zibach, the very talented production designer. TRUEBA: My friend and co-director of Chico and Rita , Javier Mariscal, and my wife and producer, Cristina. How are you following this film? What projects are in the works? GAGNOL: I am working on a new feature film. It’s also a thriller for children but with an additional fantasy aspect. I have already worked on the script for more than two years, and Jean-Loup has drawn the first pictures. The action takes place in New York. One of the great advantages of making animated movies, as directors, is that we can go everywhere from our drawing table. NELSON: I’m developing something, but it’s a secret at the moment. TRUEBA: I just finished a new movie, The Artist and the Model, my first movie in French, featuring Jean Rochefort, Aida Folch and Claudia Cardinale. MORE 2012 OSCAR ROUNDTABLES AND CHATS Best Cinematography Best Costume Design Best Documentary Feature Best Foreign-Language Feature
Producer talks to MTV News about collaborating with award-winning composer Hans Zimmer. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Ricky Louis Pharrell Williams Photo: MTV News This Sunday, super producer Pharrell Williams and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer will show the world what they’ve been cooking up since the December announcement they would join forces as the musical consultants for the 84th Academy Awards . “You know, Hans called me and he said that [Oscars Producer] Brian Grazer had asked him to come on as a consultant and effectively score the music or whatever,” he explained to MTV News. “And Hans was like, ‘I can’t do that. … I’d do that if like I had, like, Pharrell.’ [Grazer’s] like, ‘OK, get Pharrell on the phone.’ That’s the story he told me. I got the call from Hans and he told them he wanted to do it with me, and so I pleasantly accepted and we’ve just been working ever since.” While Pharrell wanted to keep the collaboration as top-secret as possible, he did give some insight into what the two have in store for the big night, which will be hosted by Billy Crystal. “Well, you’re gonna have to watch the show and see, we can’t give it away. That’s what’s so funny about interviews. They always want to know what you’re about to do,” he explained. “It’s like some of us love you know music and art that blindsides, comes out of nowhere with a crazy impact. And then sometimes you talk about things because you want to warm up the feeling before the huge impact. “But this is another one of those things where we keep things under wraps,” he continued. “But it’s cool; it’s interesting; it’s very different. Definitely there’s an homage to the tradition of how the music was done traditionally. … [but] we’re different, and when given an opportunity and it’s our opportunity, Hans and I agreed we just would do it from the perspective of people who love music and love making music and respect it, giving back to what gave us so much, which is music and film.” The MTV Movies team has the 2012 Oscars covered! Stick with us for everything you need to know leading up to the awards show, and on Sunday, February 26, tune into MTV.com at 5 p.m. ET for our two-and-a-half-hour red-carpet live stream and updates on the night’s big winners. To join the live conversation, tweet @MTVNews with the hashtag #Oscars. Related Photos 2012 Oscar Nominees Related Artists Pharrell Williams
The RedOne-produced party anthem is the lead single off FEM’s Dirty Bass. By Jocelyn Vena Far East Movement and Justin Bieber Photo: Getty Images Justin Bieber ‘s track with Far East Movement dropped Friday (February 24), a few days earlier than expected. “Live My Life,” which officially hits iTunes on Tuesday, is the lead single off FEM’s new album, Dirty Bass. It feels like Bieber is taking a page from the Usher playbook by hooking up with the dance party-minded production team. The club thumper pays homage to tracks that Usher has made with David Guetta and will.i.am, for instance. The feel-good song is grinding and a little dirty. For Bieber’s part, he sings the hook, proclaiming, “I’m gonna live my life/ No matter what/ We party tonight/ I’m gonna live, live, live my life/ I know that we gonna be all right.” He then throws in the good-old dance floor chant “woo woo woo” for good measure. “We’re thrilled to have Justin be a part of Dirty Bass, ” rapper Kev Nish told RollingStone.com about the club-busting collaboration. “Far East Movement has always focused on unexpected collaborations and mashing up musical genres, which keeps making music exciting. ‘Live My Life’ is a song we think both Far East Movement and Bieber fans will enjoy together.” The team also worked with LMFAO’s RedFoo on a remix of the swirling party track. And, in case you’re wondering how the guys in FEM know Bieber, well, apparently Snoop Dogg introduced them at an awards show last year. The track’s producer, RedOne, described the song as “a smash,” before he spoke a bit more about the song and hitting the studio with the boys. He added, “And Justin sang the chorus. It’s a really good song, and I think people are gonna dance like crazy to it.” What do you think of “Live My Life”? Leave your comment below! Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
Only time will tell just how many statuettes will ‘The Artist’ take home and whether talking puppets will grace the Oscar stage. By Kevin P. Sullivan Jean Dujardin and B
Woody Allen , whose Midnight in Paris is competing at this Sunday’s Academy Awards , will be bringing his Oscar-nominated 1994 comedy Bullets Over Broadway to the Great White Way in 2013, reports the New York Times. The adaptation has long been rumored to be in the works; Allen himself is writing the book, with songs culled from existing 1920s-era music. Cue obligatory Dianne Wiest quotes! [ NYT ]
In this week’s Hobnobbing, we plan your Panem-themed Academy Awards fete. By Amy Wilkinson Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate Well, the 84th annual Academy Awards are right around the corner, and though ” Hunger Games ” fans have another year to wait until the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ teen novel is awards-eligible (we’ve got you in our crosshairs, Best Picture nomination !), that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate in revolutionary style. And we’re making it super easy for you hungry film buffs out there. We’ve carefully composed a step-by-step guide to throwing your very own “Hunger Games”-themed Oscars party. Dig in! Reap Your Attendees Just like Panem’s most prestigious event, you can’t let the entire dystopian nation into your Oscars get-together. Write each of your friends’ names down on a slip of paper, drop them into a bowl and select only 24 pals to enjoy your bean dip and Billy Crystal-shaped Jell-O mold. They’ll thank you for it in the end. Set Up a Groom Room Tributes — I mean, guests — can’t even think of setting foot into the arena of your living room without first dividing their unibrows and conquering their hairy gams. Clear a common space (who needs privacy?) for your pals to primp and polish (sans Cinna and company, unfortunately) before the opening ceremonies. Stock generously with Capitol Colours nail polish . Let the Games Begin! OK, full disclosure: This isn’t so much a party as it is a cinephilic death match — only one guest can survive. Print Oscar ballots for each attendee (our friends at NextMovie have a handy, downloadable version) and be sure they fill out every category. Eliminate each incorrect guest, ushering them out of your home one by one (anthem optional) until you’re left with a single, exhausted winner. Cue the Parade Six months later (August 26, to be exact), you’ll want to invite the winner back to your house or apartment for their victory tour. Knock on each of your neighbors’ doors (starting with the highest number) and request they throw you a huge celebratory feast. Gratis. Your Hobnobbing Gamemakers guarantee this will be one party Panem will be talking about for years to come! May the Oscars be ever in your favor! Will you be throwing a “Hunger Games”-themed Oscars party? Sound off in the comments below and tweet me @amymwilk with your thoughts and suggestions for future columns! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Hunger Games’ Related Photos The Hunger Games
