Thompson on Hollywood

My Night at the Oscars, from the Red Carpet to the Governor's Ball

Awards

It was mighty fun attending the Oscars as a guest, as opposed to standing on high heels with the print press off the red carpet or backstage, simultaneously tracking the show and winners' interviews. It's been a while since I covered inside the Oscar show for Premiere and EW--back at the Shrine and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Indiewire colleague and Oscar virgin Peter Knegt, sporting a new tuxedo, and I opted to walk to the show instead of driving. This required a police escort up Highland from Sunset to the red carpet entrance on Hollywood Boulevard. Sparkling big-haired Adele was behind us, wraith-like Anne Hathaway ahead.

By Anne Thompson
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February 26, 2013 4:27 PM
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Final Oscar Talk: Winners, Losers, MacFarlane, Music, Predictions, Red Carpet, Parties

Awards

Kris Tapley and I do our final Oscar Talk of the season on Sunday night's winners and losers and how we fared in our predictions. Let's just say I was in a good mood this morning.

By Anne Thompson
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February 25, 2013 9:44 PM
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Oscars 2013 Red Carpet VIDEO: Winners Affleck, Lawrence, Day-Lewis, Hathaway and Hollywood Royalty; Plus Candid Photos and Winner Reactions Back Stage

Awards

Check out the Oscar winners' reactions from backstage, plus candid red carpet photos and video below:

By Sophia Savage
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February 25, 2013 4:47 PM
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Oscar Analysis: Why 'Argo' Beat 'Lincoln' and More on Oscar's Winners and Losers

Awards

A month ago, Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," the highest-grossing film of the Oscar nominees ($178 million and counting) with the most nominations (12), was the frontrunner in the Oscar race. But dynamics can change. When Ben Affleck did not earn an Oscar nomination for directing "Argo," he became the underdog and that turned the tide.

By Anne Thompson
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February 25, 2013 1:30 PM
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2013 Oscar Highlights: Dancing and Tripping Stars, Eloquent Acceptance Speeches and More; Show Scores 40.3 Million Viewers UPDATED

Video

The 2013 Oscars held many noteworthy moments, including the race's sixth tie in history, and the six major category wins all going to different films. It also saw plenty of song belting, some charmingly old-school dance numbers and moving speeches from award recipients. Below, video highlights from the night, updated ratings info and more.

By Beth Hanna
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February 25, 2013 12:06 PM
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Final Oscar Predictions 2013

Awards

You'd think that Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," the highest-grossing film of the Oscar nominees ($174 million and counting) with the most nominations (12), would be steady as they go. (Best Picture nominees Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" scored eleven, "Les Miserables" eight, "Argo" seven, and "Zero Dark Thirty" five.) Yet Ben Affleck's "Argo," fueled by sympathy for the popular actor-director's "snub" by the Oscar directors' branch, is sxurging past the one-time best picture frontrunner. The directors branch, packed with foreign auteurs, is known for making idiosyncratic choices, but rarely have the DGA and Academy lists been so different. (Also left off the Oscar directors list: Tom Hooper and Kathryn Bigelow.) With final voting under way, "Argo" leads "Lincoln." But it's Spielberg vs. Ang Lee in the director race.

By Anne Thompson
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February 24, 2013 4:26 PM
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Six Reasons Why Six Oscar Nominees Delivered Highest Awards Season Grosses in Recent History

Box Office

Six of the nine Oscar Best Picture nominees have already passed the $100 million mark, the highest level since the number was increased from five in 2009. These are the biggest numbers, even with ticket price adjustments, in recent box-office history. A number of factors contributed to the result-- the quality of the films, with studio-financed budgets requiring films with wide audience appeal, apart from any Oscar bonus--but the most significant was the calendar.

By Tom Brueggemann
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February 24, 2013 6:15 AM
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Nate Silver Predicts the Oscars -- Statistical Frontrunners and Nominees with "more noise than signal"

Awards

"Political calculus" election guru Nate Silver is taking his third stab at Oscar predictions in the six major categories -- he previously predicted in 2009 and 2011 -- and using a no-nonsense approach. While Silver doesn't boast a perfect Oscar track record, he claims that his method of basing the winners off other awards given out in the run-up to the Academy Awards is "the best predictor of Oscar success" and the closest equivalent to pre-election polls.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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February 22, 2013 1:10 PM
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Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Chosen as Oscar-Qualifying in Documentary Short Category

Awards

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has been selected as an Academy Award-qualifying festival in the Documentary Short Subject category. This decision follows a recent similar decision by the Producers Guild.