Academy Awards News
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Anne Hathaway Had No Time to Be Nervous
Originally posted 02/23/2009 09:10AM
During the Oscar show, Prince Charming – in the guise of host Hugh Jackman – swept Anne Hathaway into his arms. And, afterwards, she went to the ball.
The Academy's Governors Ball, that is, immediately following the Sunday night ceremony in the Kodak Theatre. The evening was so rich that the Rachel Getting Married Best Actress nominee, 26, told PEOPLE she had a hard time singling out a favorite moment.
"There's so many," she said before quickly amending her answer to, "I'd have to say being in Hugh Jackman's arms and him carrying me on stage!"
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Shirley MacLaine
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Pinki Sonkar: From School Outcast to an Oscar-Winning Film
Originally posted 02/22/2009 06:25PM
In the poor rural village of Mirzapur, India, a 6-year-old girl spent her days sitting in the corner of her house ashamed because of her mouth.
"People stared and teased all the time," she told PEOPLE in her native Indian dialect through a translator. "They would call me 'hothkati' – meaning cut lip or the girl with the cut lip. I was never known by my real name," she said. But her name was Pinki Sonkar.
Pinki, now 8, is the unlikely star of Smile Pinki, a 39-minute documentary that chronicles her story from being hopelessly unhappy to being helped by plastic surgeon Dr. Subodh Kumar Singh and The Smile Train, who transformed Pinki's life. It was one of four films nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Short Documentary category, and Sunday night, the film's director Megan Mylan took home the Oscar.
Born with a cleft in her upper lip due to a birth defect, Pinki's life was bleak. At school she was shunned by the children and stopped attending. "I felt hurt and very angry," says Pinki. "I always wanted to know why I was different from others." At home she was also outcast by the villagers and her impoverished family could not afford the money for corrective surgery.
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009
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Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston Share Oscar Spotlight
Originally posted 02/22/2009 11:55PM
While Slumdog Millionaire piled up the Oscars Sunday night, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston defied expectations and piled on the smiles – as their dual appearance at Hollywood's night of nights was as smooth as the silk gowns that filled the Kodak Theatre.
Jolie, of course, attended with her partner and fellow nominee, Brad Pitt, while his ex-wife, Aniston, was accompanied by her boyfriend, John Mayer.
Pitt and Jolie told PEOPLE that their six kids were home "throwing spaghetti against the wall," while the two of them were enjoying a date night.
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer
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Slumdog Millionaire Sweeps Oscar Awards
Originally posted 02/22/2009 09:10PM
An underdog movie about a little guy overcoming life's enormous obstacles swept the Oscars Sunday night, as Slumdog Millionaire racked up eight Academy Awards, including those for Best Picture and for its Director, Danny Boyle.
But it was not underdog Mickey Rourke (for The Wrestler) who took the Best Actor Oscar. That honor went to Sean Penn, for Milk, in which he played 1970s gay activist Harvey Milk.
"I did not expect this, and I know how hard I make it to appreciate me, often," Penn said in his impassioned acceptance speech – in which he also acknowledged his fellow nominee, whose career had faded away in the '90s. "Mickey Rourke rises again," said Penn, "and he is my brother."
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Pen\u00E9lope Cruz, Sean Penn
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Heath Ledger Wins an Oscar
Originally posted 02/22/2009 10:25PM
In an emotional moment at Sunday's Academy Awards, Heath Ledger's family accepted the actor's posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
"Tonight we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved," said his mother Sally Bell, who stood alongside Heath's father, Kim Ledger, and sister, Kate, on the stage of Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
Added Kate, in reference to Heath's 3-year-old daughter, who will inherit his Oscar when she turns 18, "We proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda."
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Heath Ledger
Brad and Angelina Make Oscars a Date Night
Originally posted 02/22/2009 09:25PM
While Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were making a glamorous appearance at the Academy Awards, what were their six children doing at home?
"Throwing spaghetti against the wall," Pitt told PEOPLE on the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
Which is just fine with two of Sunday night's nominees – Pitt as Best Actor for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Jolie for Best Actress in Changeling.
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt
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Slumdog Stars Address Dating Rumors
Originally posted 02/22/2009 07:25PM
Their movie may be up for 10 Oscars, but the big question surrounding Slumdog Millionaire stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto is, "Are you dating?"
Not each other, not even anyone else, they both insisted on the red carpet leading into the Kodak Theatre Sunday night.
Speaking to E! pre-show host Ryan Seacrest, Patel, 18, and Pinto, 24, displayed pained expressions at the very question about the rumors that they are an item.
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Ryan Seacrest
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Oscars Promise Surprises, Brad Pitt – and Maybe Beyoncé
Originally posted 02/22/2009 01:00PM
Producers are promising plenty of shakeups with this year's Academy Awards. They haven't announced the presenters in advance. And they've enlisted Hugh Jackman, known for his singing and dancing abilities, to host in lieu of a traditional comedian.
But the question remains: Will it be enough to net a major audience? With viewership declining, the Academy sure hopes so.
One thing is certain: If this year's nominees – including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway – point to anything, there will plenty of A-listers walking the red carpet – not to mention some nail-biting races.
The Big Races
This year's supporting actor categories offer real suspense. Will Heath Ledger pick up a posthumous Oscar for his memorable turn as the psychotic Joker in The Dark Knight? He's won plenty of trophies already this award season, but the late Ledger is competing against Milk's Josh Brolin, among other industry favorites.Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009Brad Pitt
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Hugh Jackman May Work Sexiest Man Title Into Oscar Act
Originally posted 02/21/2009 11:40AM
While the likes of Brad, Angelina, Kate and Mickey party-hopped through awards season, racking up accolades and air kisses on the road to Sunday's Academy Awards, Hugh Jackman's pre-Oscar dance card hasn't been quite as glam.
Tapped to be the show's 81st host and the second Aussie to do the honors (who can forget Paul Hogan's turn as co-host in 1987), Jackman has been hunkered down brainstorming material with a team of comedy writers and cramming back-to-back song and dance rehearsals.
"It's been hilarious," says the 40-year-old actor, who just last month wrapped X-Men Origins: Wolverine. "I don't know if the other billion people who watch it will find it funny but I'm finding it hysterical right now. I'm having the time of my life."
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009, Hugh Jackman
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Hollywood Hopeful Wins First-Ever Heath Ledger Scholarship
Originally posted 02/20/2009 10:00AM
The tragic death of Heath Ledger has, thanks to the actor's friends, turned into stroke of luck for one Australian actor.
On Thursday night, Oliver Ackland of Sydney became the inaugural recipient of a scholarship created in Ledger's name with support from friends like Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts and Ledger's former girlfriend, Michelle Williams.
"[Ackland is] a great actor and he's really likeable," Ledger's good friend and Ned Kelly director Gregor Jordan, a judge on the panel, told PEOPLE at the Australians in Film Academy Award Celebration in Los Angeles. "He's got [a sort of] Jude Law look. Maybe he's an Aussie Jude Law, who knows?"
Permalink | Filed Under: Oscars 2009Heath Ledger
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