81st Academy Awards
| 81st Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Date | February 22, 2009 |
| Site |
Kodak Theatre Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Hosted by | Hugh Jackman[1] |
| Preshow host(s) |
|
| Produced by |
Bill Condon Laurence Mark[3] |
| Directed by | Roger Goodman[4] |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Slumdog Millionaire |
| Most awards | Slumdog Millionaire (8) |
| Most nominations | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (13) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 30 minutes[5] |
| Ratings |
36.94 million 20.88% (Nielsen ratings)[6] |
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC, and produced by Bill Condon and Laurence Mark. Actor Hugh Jackman hosted the show for the first time.[7] Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California held on February 7, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Jessica Biel.[8]
Slumdog Millionaire won eight awards, the most of the evening, including Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle.[9][10][11] Other winners were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with three awards, The Dark Knight and Milk with two awards, and Departures, The Duchess, La Maison en Petits Cubes, Man on Wire, The Reader, Smile Pinki, Toyland, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and WALL-E with one. The telecast garnered almost 37 million viewers in the United States.
Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards were announced on January 22, 2009, at 5:38 a.m. PST (13:38 UTC) at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Sid Ganis, president of the Academy, and the actor Forest Whitaker.[12] The Curious Case of Benjamin Button received the most nominations with thirteen (the ninth film to garner that many nominations); Slumdog Millionaire came in second with ten.[12][13]
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on February 22, 2009.[14] Slumdog Millionaire was the eleventh film to win Best Picture without any acting nominations.[15] Sean Penn became the ninth person to win Best Lead Actor twice.[16] Best Supporting Actor winner Heath Ledger became the second performer to win a posthumous acting Oscar. The first actor to receive this distinction was Peter Finch who posthumously won Best Actor for Network two months after his death in January 1977.[17] With its six nominations, Best Animated Feature Film winner WALL-E tied with 1991's Beauty and the Beast as the most nominated animated film in Academy Awards history.[13]
Awards
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Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface'..[18]
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Films with multiple nominations and awards
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The following 15 films received multiple nominations.
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The following four films received multiple awards:
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Presenters and performers
The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.[20][21][22]
Presenters
Performers
Ceremony information
Due to the declining viewership of the recent Academy Awards ceremonies, AMPAS had contracted an entirely new production team in an attempt to revive interest surrounding both the awards and festivities. In September 2008, the Academy selected producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark to co-produce the telecast.[23] Nearly three months later, actor Hugh Jackman, who had previously emceed three consecutive Tony Awards ceremonies between 2003 and 2005, was chosen as host of the 2009 gala.[24] Jackman expressed his anticipation of the awards in the few days preceding, and had commented that he was thrilled with preparations for the ceremony.[25][26]
Notable changes were introduced in the production of the telecast. In an attempt to build suspense and curiosity leading up to the awards, Condon and Mark announced that they would not reveal any of the presenters or performers who would participate in the Oscarcast.[27] Another unique feature of the ceremony was that the orchestra performed onstage instead of being relegated to a pit.[28] In a break from previous presentations, five previous Oscar-winning performers presented each of the acting categories as opposed to only one or two.[29] In addition, the Academy announced that for the first time since Oscar began broadcasting on television, film studios would be able to televise advertisements promoting their upcoming films.[30] Furthermore, a montage of upcoming 2009 films was shown over the ceremony's closing credits.[31]
Several other people participated in the production of the ceremony. Chris Harrison hosted "Road to the Oscars", a weekly behind-the-scenes video blog on the Oscar ceremony website.[32] David Rockwell designed a new set and stage design for the ceremony.[33] Film historian and author Robert Osborne greeted guests entering the festivities at the Hollywood and Highland Center.[34] Film director Judd Apatow filmed a comedy montage which featured Seth Rogen and James Franco reprising their roles from Pineapple Express.[35] Director Baz Luhrmann produced a song and dance number saluting movie musicals.[36]
Peter Gabriel, who was originally scheduled to perform his nominated song "Down to Earth" from WALL-E during the live broadcast, declined to perform after learning that he would be allowed to sing only 65 seconds of the song during the ceremony's Best Original Song nominee performances.[37] Gabriel still attended the ceremony but singer John Legend, backed by the Soweto Gospel Choir, performed the song in place of Gabriel.[38]
Box office performance of nominated films
Continuing a trend in recent years, the field of major nominees favored independent, low-budget films over blockbusters.[39][40] However, one of the nominees for Best Picture had grossed over $100 million before the nominations were announced (compared with none from the previous year).[41] The combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees when the Oscars were announced was $188 million with an average gross of $37.7 million per film.[42]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $104.4 million in domestic box office receipts.[41] The film was followed by Slumdog Millionaire ($44.7 million), Milk ($20.7 million), Frost/Nixon ($8.8 million), and finally The Reader ($8.3 million).[42] Among the rest of the top 50 releases of 2008 in U.S. box office before the nominations, 33 nominations went to nine films on the list. Only The Dark Knight (1st), WALL-E (5th), Kung Fu Panda (6th), Bolt (19th), Tropic Thunder (20th), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (21st) were nominated for directing, acting, screenwriting, Best Picture or Animated Feature.[43] The other top-50 box office hits that earned nominations were Iron Man (2nd), Wanted (16th), and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (41st).[43]
Faked winners leak
Shortly after the voting polls were closed for the awards, a purported list of winners was posted online. The list, which bore a purported signature from Academy president Sid Ganis, stated that Mickey Rourke won for Best Actor, Kate Winslet won for Best Actress, Amy Adams won for Best Supporting Actress, Heath Ledger won for Best Supporting Actor, and Slumdog Millionaire won for Best Picture.[44] AMPAS spokeswoman Leslie Unger later revealed that the list was "a complete fraud", and that PricewaterhouseCoopers had just begun to count the ballots.[45]
Critical reviews
The show received a mixed reception from media publications. Some media outlets received the broadcast more positively. Television critic Robert Bianco of USA Today gave Jackman an average review but extolled producers Condon and Mark saying that the broadcast felt "faster and more intimate without sacrificing Hollywood glamour."[46] Vanity Fair columnist Julian Sancton gave high marks for Jackman's hosting performance stating "After several years of glamour-deflating wisecracks from blasé hosts like Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, and Steve Martin, the new producers hired an M.C. who was willing to break a sweat."[47] Film critic Roger Ebert lauded Jackman's performance noting that he "would be a charmer as host, and he was." Of the show itself, Ebert added, "It was the best Oscar show I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty."[48]
Other media outlets were more critical of the show. Los Angeles Times columnist Mary McNamara lamented that host Jackman surely "obliterated all memory of the Uma-Oprah thing", in reference to the negative reception David Letterman received when hosting the 67th ceremony held in 1995.[49] Time television critic James Poniewozik wrote that Jackman was "charming and game and I bet he absolutely killed in the room. But he didn’t really project beyond the room, nor did he much seem to be trying to." He also noted that while there were some entertaining moments, "the broadcast overall had problems of pacing."[50] Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune remarked, "The whole thing was driven by a manic desire to bring some old-school glamor to the proceedings." She added that the long introductions praising the acting nominees slowed down the proceedings.[51]
Ratings and reception
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 36.94 million people over its length, which was a 13% increase from the record lows of the previous year's ceremony.[52][53] An estimated, 68.48 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards. The show also drew higher Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony, with 20.88% of households watching over a 32.44 share.[54] In addition, the program scored a 12.43 rating over a 30.61 share among the 18–49 demographic, which was a 13 percent increase.[54]
In July 2009, the ceremony presentation received ten nominations at the 61st Primetime Emmys.[55] Two months later, the ceremony won four awards including Outstanding Choreography (Rob Ashford), Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (Hugh Jackman Opening Number: William Ross, John Kimbrough, Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, Ben Schwartz), Outstanding Short Form Picture Editing, (Best Motion Picture Montage: Kyle Cooper, Hal Honigsberg), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Or Music Series Or Special.[56][57]
In Memoriam
The annual In Memoriam tribute was presented by actress Queen Latifah. She performed the song "I'll Be Seeing You" during the segment.[58][59]
See also
- 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 29th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 51st Grammy Awards
- 61st Primetime Emmy Awards
- 62nd British Academy Film Awards
- 63rd Tony Awards
- 66th Golden Globe Awards
- List of submissions to the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
Notes
- A^ :Following talks with his family in Australia, the Academy determined that Ledger's daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger, would own the award. However, due to Matilda's age, she will not gain full ownership of the statuette until her eighteenth birthday in 2023.[60] Until that time, her mother, actress Michelle Williams, will hold the statuette in trust for Matilda.[61] Ledger's family attended the ceremony. His parents and sister accepted the award on stage on his behalf.[17]
References
- ↑ Moore, Roger; Hal Boedeker; Dewyane Bevil (December 13, 2008). "Hugh Jackman is tapped to host Oscars telecast". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Eng, Joyce (February 11, 2009). "Tim Gunn, Robin Roberts to Host ABC Oscar Pre-Show". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Cohen, Sandy (September 24, 2008). "Oscars tap Mark, Condon to oversee telecast". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Roger Goodman Named Director for 81st Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. October 24, 2008. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ↑ Lowry, Brian (February 22, 2009). "Review: "The 81st annual Academy Awards – From the Couch"". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (February 24, 2009). "Academy Awards American Idol and The Mentalist lead broadcast viewing". TVbytheNumbers. Tribune Media. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
- ↑ Vena, Joyce (December 12, 2008). "Hugh Jackman Will Host The 2009 Oscars, Academy Confirms". MTV. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ O'Neil, Tom (February 3, 2009). "Jessica Biel emcees sci-tech Oscars". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Leopold, Todd (February 22, 2009). "'Slumdog' makes history, sweeps Oscars". CNN. Time Warner. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ Horn, John (February 23, 2009). "'Slumdog' strikes it rich with 8 Oscar wins". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ Vancheri, Barbara (February 23, 2009). "Top Dog: Passage to India proves golden for Mumbai fairy tale". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- 1 2 "Forest Whitaker to Join Academy President Sid Ganis for Oscar Nominations". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 20, 2009. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
- 1 2 O'Neil, Tom (January 22, 2009). "Oscar nominations: Fascinating facts, figures and milestones". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Academy Award winners and nominees". CNN. Time Warner. February 22, 2009. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ↑ Eng, Joyce (February 20, 2009). "Oscars: Who Will Win and Who Will Surprise?". TV Guide. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
- ↑ O'Neil, Tom (February 23, 2009). "Sean Penn is the ninth actor to win two lead Oscars". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Pubishing. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- 1 2 Johnson, Reed (February 23, 2009). "For Heath Ledger, a bittersweet salute". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ "The 81st Academy Awards (2009) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ↑ Braxton, Greg (February 23, 2009). "The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- ↑ Finke, Nikki (February 22, 2009). "Live-Snarking 2009 Academy Awards: Oscars Slumming, Show Stumbling". Deadline.com. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Smith, Neil (February 21, 2009). "Surprises expected at Oscar gala". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ↑ Rose, Adam (February 26, 2009). "Trojan's cementing reputation as Hollywood's band". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ↑ King, Susan (September 24, 2008). "Laurence Mark, Bill Condon to produce Oscars". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Hugh Jackman To Host Oscars". CBS News. CBS Corporation. December 12, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Escherich, Katie (February 20, 2009). "Hugh Jackman on Hosting Oscars: 'A Night of Celebration'". ABC News. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Schwartz, Miisy (January 28, 2009). "Hugh Jackman: Oscars' Sexiest Host?". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ Breznican, Anthony (February 19, 2009). "The Oscar 11: Team aims to revive awards' telecast". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
- ↑ "I'm with the band! Oscars stage design revealed". NBC News. NBCUniversal. February 20, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Clark, Mike (February 23, 2009). "Oscar showtime: This year vs. others". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ Gray, Timothy M.; Cynthia Littleton (October 8, 2008). "Film ads to run during Oscar telecast". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ↑ Davis, Erik (February 23, 2009). "2009 Academy Awards Best and Worst Recap". Moviefone. AOL. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Gelman, Vlada (February 18, 2009). "Oscar.com Announces Web Shows". TelevisionWeek. Crain Communications. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ↑ Brown, Patricia Leigh (February 12, 2009). "The Little Gold Man in a New Blue World". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Robert Osborne to Greet Celebrities on Oscar's Red Carpet". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. February 17, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Eng, Joyce (February 23, 2009). "Top Oscar Moments: Tears for a Joker, Million-Dollar Babies and More". TV Guide. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Sutherland, Ben (February 23, 2009). "Jackman on song at his first Oscars". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Breznican, Anthony (February 13, 2009). "Peter Gabriel won't perform at Oscars". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Donahue, Ann (February 23, 2009). "'Slumdog Millionaire' Sweeps Music Oscars". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Corliss, Richard (February 12, 2009). "How the Oscars Became the Emmys". Time. Time Warner. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Cieply, Michael (June 24, 2009). "Academy Expands Best-Picture Pool to 10". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- 1 2 Eller, Claudia (February 23, 2009). "'Benjamin Button's' Oscar nominations may not pay off for Paramount". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- 1 2 "2008 Academy Award Nominations and Winner for Best Picture". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- 1 2 "2008 Oscar nominations and wins by movie". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Carlson, Nicholas (February 21, 2009). "Leaked List Of Oscar Winners Is Fake". Business Insiser. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Finn, Natalie (February 19, 2009). "Leaked Oscar-Winner List Is a "Complete Fraud"". E!. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
- ↑ Bianco, Robert (February 23, 2009). "For this Oscar show, intimacy, glamour share the stage". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ Sancton, Julian (February 23, 2009). "Book Hugh Jackman For the Next Ten Years, Oscars". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (February 23, 2009). "The Oscars are Outsourced". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun Times Media Group. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- ↑ McNamara, Mary (February 23, 2009). "The Oscars show itself was puttin' on the fritz". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing.
- ↑ Poniewozik, James (February 23, 2009). "The Morning After: Oscar's Old Song and Dance". Time. Time Warner.
- ↑ Ryan, Maureen (February 23, 2009). "New format, host are unable to rescue a plodding telecast". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing.
- ↑ Seidman, Robert (February 24, 2009). "Top ABC Primetime Shows week of February 16–22, 2009". TVbytheNumbers. Zap2it. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ↑ Adelian, Josef (February 24, 2009). "Oscar TV Ratings: Beter, But Not Good". TV Line. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- 1 2 "81st Academy Awards averages 36.3 million up 4.2 million from last year". Zap2it. February 23, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
- ↑ "Primetime Emmy Award Database". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. ATAS. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Complete List of Winners From the 2009 Emmy Awards". E!. NBCUniversal. September 13, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ O'Neil, Tom (September 21, 2009). "Who's really surprised? Oscars upstage Justin Timberlake at the Emmys". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Malkin, Marc (February 9, 2009). "The Queen Will Reign on Oscar Night". E!. NBCUniversal. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Lo, Ricky (February 24, 2009). "And the Oscar goes to...". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ Pond, Steve (February 18, 2009). "If Ledger Wins, Oscar Goes To Daughter". CBS News. CBS Corporation. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Gornstein, Leslie (February 19, 2009). "Why Can't Li'l Matilda Have Heath's (Potential) Oscar?". E!. NBCUniversal. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 81st Academy Awards. |
- Official websites
- Academy Awards official website
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences official website
- Official Site at the Wayback Machine (archived March 4, 2009)
- The Oscars's channel on YouTube (run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
- News resources
- The Oscars, 2009 BBC News
- CNN Awards Spotlight: Academy Awards
- The Envelope.com with contributions by Paul Sheehan
- Behind the times: the nominees for the 81st Annual Academy Awards World Socialist Web Site Arts Review
- Analysis
- Other resources
