The Verge - The 85th Academy Awards: news from the 2013 Oscars

The Onion apologizes for vulgar Oscars tweet targeting nine-year-old actress

2013-02-25T17:29:40Z

The Onion is publicly apologizing for a controversial Oscars tweet that immediately drew a hailstorm of criticism when it was posted last night. On the satire publication's website, CEO Steve Hannah issued a personal apology to nine-year-old actress Quvenzhané Wallis, star of Beasts of the Southern Wild, for what he deems a "crude and offensive" tweet. "No person should be subjected to such a senseless, humorless comment masquerading as satire," he said. Hannah also apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for stirring controversy on Hollywood's biggest night.

"Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a cunt, right?," read the original text of the tweet, which Hannah says was...

Watch the Oscars in its entirety on Hulu and ABC

2013-02-25T10:50:06Z

If you missed Sunday night's Oscars ceremony you're in luck, because the show will soon be available in its entirety online. In a press release issued late Sunday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the ceremony will be available for streaming in the US on Hulu, Hulu Plus, ABC.com, and the ABC Player app. It's scheduled to go live at 6AM ET Monday morning, and will remain online until midnight ET on Wednesday.

How Disney's 'Paperman' turned old school animation into Oscar gold

2013-02-25T09:37:46Z

Disney's Paperman won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film Sunday night, marking a triumph not only for the studio, but for hand-drawn animation — a medium that seemed to be nearing extinction thanks to the rise of Pixar CG marvels like Up and Wall-E. But as director John Kahrs explained in an interview with Fast Company, Paperman isn't just an homage to the animated films of yesteryear; it's a testament to how modern technology can breathe new life into analog formats.

According to Kahrs, Paperman was originally conceived as "an urban fairy tale in a beautiful world of light and shadow" that would deploy global illumination and other cutting edge CG technologies. Things slightly changed, however, once Kahrs began working alongside...

Google search rankings correctly pick four out of six Oscar winners

2013-02-25T07:22:35Z

With the 85th annual Academy Awards drawing to a close, one question remains — how good of a job did Google’s search popularity do at indicating which films would win? The answer is "pretty good." Of the six awards for which it hazarded a guess, Google correctly predicted four — Best Picture (Argo), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained), and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook). Following the show, Lawrence also took the "award" for Most-Googled Oscar Nominee Across All Categories.

Protests as Oscar-winning 'Life of Pi' VFX studio faces bankruptcy

2013-02-25T00:44:46Z

All eyes are on the Oscars tonight, as Hollywood’s biggest stars make their annual pilgrimage to the Dolby Theatre for a shot at recognition for a job well done. But nearby at Hollywood and Vine, nearly 500 VFX artists have gathered to protest unfair treatment as competitive pressures and international subsidies have lead to a string of studio closings. Reported by FXGuide, the protest is trying to draw more attention to the plight of workers at studios like Rhythm and Hues, the company behind the effects in Life of Pi, a heavy favorite to win the award for Best Visual Effects at today’s awards. Despite the film grossing over $500 million internationally at the box office, Rhythm and Hues filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection...

Samsung planning Oscars advertising blitz with six commercials, Tim Burton cameo

2013-02-23T20:05:01Z

After spending big on its star-studded Super Bowl commercial, Samsung is planning to dominate your TV during tomorrow night's Academy Awards. The company has purchased six commercial spots for the Oscars, though you won't be seeing a repeat of the Seth Rogen / Paul Rudd ad. Instead, Samsung intends to tell a running story throughout the evening, with each of the six commercials fitting in as its own piece of the narrative. According to Ad Age, the campaign will follow a video game publisher as it attempts to release a title called Unicorn Apocalypse. Legendary Hollywood director Tim Burton will reportedly be appearing in the final, 90-second ad — an appropriate fit given the occasion. Beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see what...

Oscar-nominated shorts pulled from YouTube in response to Hollywood pressure

2013-02-22T13:00:50Z

The five films nominated for the Best Animated Short Film were pulled from the web this week, just days ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. The move was reportedly spurred by Carter Pilcher, CEO of distributor Shorts International. In a February 14th letter obtained by Deadline, Pilcher urged the Oscar nominees to remove their works from the internet, arguing that online streaming would result in "significant, if not irreparable damage" to their theatrical release.

In the letter, Pilcher notes that this month's online release has already elicited "a very significant, adverse reaction from the independent theaters that are playing the films," adding that some were threatening to remove them because of plummeting audiences. But his...

Watch this year's Oscar-nominated cinematography

2013-02-22T10:32:02Z

With no runaway favorite in the running, this year's Academy Awards is shaping up to be among the most intriguing in recent memory. Sunday's event has already sparked plenty of debate over marquee categories like Best Picture and Best Director, but somewhat lost amid the buzz is an equally tight contest for Best Cinematography.

Film critic Kevin B. Lee took a closer look at this category this week, in a video essay for Fandor. The nearly nine-minute clip is composed of two, 90-second scenes from each of the five nominees: Anna Karenina, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, and Skyfall. Lee says he chose these "standout" clips based on feedback he received on Twitter, noting that both Lincoln and Skyfall seemed to have the most...