OSCARS 2017 89TH ACADEMY AWARDS: MOONLIGHT WINS AFTER ALL THE MIX UP!

Moonlight, a coming of age tale of a young black man Chiron growing up in a crime infested area of Miami beautifully told in three chapters was named the best film of 2016 at the 89th Academy Awards Oscar 2017 right after La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz named them as the winner when the presenter Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the wrong winner La La Land. It bested eight other nominees on the category: Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La la land, Lion and Manchester by the Sea.

Best Director went to 32 year-old Damien Chazelle for the film La La Land making him the youngest director in Oscar history to win the Academy Award. Best Actress went to Emma Stone of La La Land while Best Actor went to Casey Affleck of the film Manchester by the Sea.

Academy Award winner for Best Sound Mixing Kevin O'Connell also made history with the most number of nominations without winning with 20 all but until his 21st nomination while Meryl Streep also celebrated her record breaking 20th acting nomination.

TV show personality Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony.



Here is the complete list of winners:


Best Picture - Moonlight – Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner

Best Director - Damien Chazelle – La La Land

Best Actor - Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea as Lee Chandler

Best Actress - Emma Stone – La La Land as Mia Dolan

Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali – Moonlight as Juan

Best Supporting Actress - Viola Davis – Fences as Rose Maxson

Best Original Screenplay - Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Best Adapted Screenplay - Moonlight – Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney from In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney

Best Animated Feature Film - Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Clark Spencer

Best Foreign Language Film - The Salesman (Iran) in Persian – Asghar Farhadi

Best Documentary - Feature - O.J.: Made in America – Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow

Best Documentary - Short Subject  - The White Helmets – Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara

Best Live Action Short Film - Sing – Kristóf Deák and Anna Udvardy

Best Animated Short Film - Piper – Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer

Best Original Score - La La Land – Justin Hurwitzdouble

Best Original Song - "City of Stars" from La La Land – Music by Justin Hurwitz, Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Best Sound Editing - Arrival – Sylvain Bellemare

Best Sound Mixing - Hacksaw Ridge – Kevin O'Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie, and Peter Grace

Best Production Design - La La Land – David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco

Best Cinematography - La La Land – Linus Sandgren

Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Suicide Squad – Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini, and Christopher Nelson

Best Costume Design - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Colleen Atwood

Best Film Editing - Hacksaw Ridge – John Gilbert

Best Visual Effects - The Jungle Book – Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Dan Lemmon

OSCARS 2016 88TH ACADEMY AWARDS: FINALLY LEO WINS!

Spotlight, a Boston Globe investigative reporting about the clerical abuses in the Catholic church swept under the rug in the Vatican got the Oscar voter's nod and was named the year's Best Picture winner besting seven other nominees: The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Room and the blockbuster hits Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant. 

Finally on his sixth nomination Leonardo DiCaprio wins the Best Actor award for the film The Revenant for portraying the role of a winter survivor forsaken by his friend and mauled by a bear with a standing ovation from the audience while delivering his speech of gratitude and message for a call to address the climate change, its impact and adverse effect most especially on the underprivileged countries and people. Brie Larson, on the other hand, won the Best Actress award for the film, Room. Director Alejandro Inarritu won his second consecutive Oscar trophy for the film The Revenant, - the first in 65 years after Joseph L. Mankiewicz win in A Letter for Three Wives (1949) and All About Eve (1950).

One of the most surprising win of the night was that of Mark Rylance for winning the Best Supporting Actor trophy for Bridge of Spies while the young Alicia Vikander winning the Best Supporting Role for an actress. Mad Max: Fury Road went home with the most Oscars trophy with six from the following: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design and Best Film Editing. 

Filipino co-director Ronnie del Carmen rejoices with co-director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera for winning the Best Animated Feature Film for Inside Out, dedicated to the Philippines and Filipinos. Del Carmen was specifically nominated for the Best Original Screenplay but lost the category to Spotlight.  László Nemes' Son of Saul won the Best Foreign Language Film category for Hungary.

Ennio Morricone won the Best Original Score for The Hateful Eight while Sam Smith with songwriter Jimmy Napes won the Best Original Song for Writing's on the Wall for the film Spectre, a James Bond film series. 

Performances include Sam Smith, The Weeknd and a poignant performance of Lady Gaga featuring survivors of sexual assaults while United States Vice President Joe Biden made his appearance to deliver a message.

Chris Rock hosted the 88th Academy Awards popularly called Oscars 2016 in a year of controversy for lacking in diversity due to the obvious absence on nominees of the people of color and as a shout out to Hollywood and the Academy Awards made some witty monologues at the start of the ceremonies in reaction to the controversy.  


Photo Sources:

Academy Awards Official Website - www.oscar.go.com 

Coming Soon - www.comingsoon.net 

Latino Review.com -  www.latino-review.com

 

 

Bwakaw: Will This Be The First Philippine Entry to Oscar Academy Awards

Bwakaw Movie Starring Eddie Garcia in the Lead Role 

  
          Will Bwakaw be the first Philippine Entry which will SUCCESSFULLY make it as a nominee to the Best Foreign Language Film of the 85th Academy Awards on February 24, 2013 in Kodak Theater, Los Angeles, California and if ever win the coveted golden statuette, Oscars. It is now competing among other international submissions from 71 countries to be shortlisted to nine (9) and finally only 5 will be the official nominees for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The Philippines has never been an awarded nor a nominee in the Academy Awards for Foreign Language Film but in Asia, Japan, China, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and Israel has so far only won for Asia. Usually, the awards show happens last week of March in the 1990s and early 2000s but lately it is moved early in February for unknown reason (much better if its in late March) and people in the Philippines slowly losing interest in the Academy Awards because no Philippine entry has made it or even won the award and maybe considering boycotting or will not send an entry for some years and some other countries are also losing interest in the event. 

          Bwakaw is a drama-comedy about growing old, and everyone's fear of growing old alone. Rene is a gay man who came out of the closet at age 70. Ailing in his twilight years, he thinks it is now too late for love, even companionship, and that all there is to look forward to is Death. He has made a will, bequeathing his few possessions to his even fewer friends. Everything is packed and labeled, ready for distribution. He has even paid for a coffin, taking advantage of a funeral home's Summer Sale. Nowadays the only companion Rene has is Bwakaw, a stray dog that hangs around his house and follows him wherever he goes. As Rene waits for the day of his death, he gets the surprise of his life when it is Bwakaw who suddenly falls ill and is diagnosed with cancer. Rene is surprisingly affected, and he realizes that he values Bwakaw more than he thinks. In his struggle to get Bwakaw cured, Rene finds comfort in the most unlikely person: Sol, a tricycle driver who helps him bring Bwakaw to the vet and befriends him. Buoyed by Sol's friendship, Rene starts living. Little by little he discovers simple joys. To the surprise of his friends, he even has his hair dyed to look younger. One day, he finally decides to make a move on Sol. The revelation that Rene is gay and has feelings for him surprises and disgusts Sol. He rejects Rene and leaves in anger. In the meantime, Bwakaw's condition gets worse. Not even Rene's ancient Santo Entierro (a supposedly miraculous statue of Jesus Christ) can save Bwakaw. Bwakaw dies, and Rene's neighbors help him bury the faithful dog. But Bwakaw's death, even while it was still only imminent, has made a difference. Rene has found a new appreciation for life and what is most important. He decides to unpack the things that he has already willed to other people and make his house more inhabitable. He is, after all, still alive. 

          Bwakaw has received rave reviews and positive responses from critics around the world and many insiders says that this one to watch out for movie has a high chance of making it at least as one of the five official nominees for the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and hopefully it will and the outcome will determine if we still have to submit entries to the Academy Awards or not. By the way, Philippines will never make it to the Academy Awards because most members of the academy are British who hates the Philippines so much. I don't know why British make it as members of the Academy since it is America and not British. Does that mean British are so insecure with America that they interfere and participate in America's affairs and events?

World Gay Partner Carrying and World Friend Carrying Championship Here In Iloilo

There will be a proposed World Gay Partner Carrying Championship and World Friend Carrying Championship as well as World Creative Fashion Month and Competition all to be held in Iloilo, Philippines. Organizations, institutions and interested parties as well as sponsorship deals from companies are very much welcomed because we want this event to be highly successful with some Hollywood celebrities, Victoria's Secret model and other supermodels will be gracing and be part of the events.

Inside the Oscars: Moments You Didn't See On TV (AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The highest concentration of cameras anywhere in the world Sunday was probably at the 83rd Academy Awards. Besides the hundreds of TV cameras on the red carpet, and a worldwide broadcast beamed to more than 200 countries, there were webcams in almost every corner.

But there are places inside and outside the Kodak Theatre hidden from the camera's eye, and that's where we are.

      From the theater wings to a private balcony box in the house, to nooks and crannies along the carpet, here's a running account of moments you couldn't see on TV:

3:21 p.m. PST: With almost two hours to showtime, a radiant Oscar co-host Anne Hathaway emerges from the Kodak Theatre in a shiny red dress, with two assistants behind her carrying its train, and heads toward the red carpet.

3:32 p.m.: Hathaway runs into the Oscar show's producer, Bruce Cohen, on the red carpet. "Do you like my dress?" she asks. "It's kinda pretty, huh?"

3:52 p.m.: "That's who that guy was!" Kevin Spacey gets a big reaction from the fan bleachers — once he removes his sunglasses.

3:57 p.m.: Jeremy Renner arrives with his mom, and the family resemblance is clear.

4:13 p.m.: Helena Bonham Carter and her boyfriend, director Tim Burton, pose for photos together. Then Burton steps back and let's his Oscar-nominated friend have the spotlight.

4:25 p.m.: Who needs a personal assistant? Director Taylor Hackford walks behind wife, Helen Mirren, gently holding up the train of her body-hugging silver gown.

4:56 p.m.: "And the Oscar for the first nominee to take her seat at the Kodak Theatre goes to ... " Well, there isn't one, but if there had been, Hailee Steinfeld would have collected it. Close behind is fellow supporting actress nominee Melissa Leo, who struts over to give her 14-year-old competitor a hug.

5 p.m.: With 30 minutes to showtime, Gwyneth Paltrow crosses paths with Jake Gyllenhaal. "Hey, I'm sitting right behind you," he tells her. "Oh good, I'll throw up on you then," says Paltrow, who will perform the nominated song from "Country Strong."

5:07 p.m.: There's major mingling inside the theater now. On one side, Colin Firth kisses Amy Adams on the cheek. In the center, Hugh Jackman is shown to his front-row seat before bouncing away. On the other side, Jake Gyllenhaal greets Marisa Tomei and Hilary Swank. "We're sitting next to each other," Swank excitedly tell Gyllenhaal.

509 p.m.: Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, walking with a stage manager, is overheard asking, "Where do I go? What do I do?" The stage manager shows him the way.

5:18 p.m.: "Please take your seats," a voice from somewhere inside the theater announces. "This is the last call. You will not be able to take your seats until the first commercial, 20 minutes from now."

5:25 p.m.: Kevin Spacey stands alone in this third row seat adjusting his cuff links. One row in front of him, Andrew Garfield from "The Social Network" is fidgeting with his bow tie. Then Garfield sees someone he knows several rows back and playfully gives him the finger.

5:31 p.m.: Stage manager Dency Nelson holds a tiny flashlight above Tom Hanks' head as a makeup artist applies a last dusting of powder before he takes the stage.

5:40 p.m.: Hanks let's out a hearty guffaw at the Marky Mark joke James Franco's grandma's delivers from the audience during the show's opening segment.

5:48 p.m.: Presenters Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis run into the night's first winners backstage. "Your speech was great. You did great," Timberlake tells them. "Now go get a drink."

6:03 p.m.: Speaking to the backstage thank-you cam after her supporting actress Oscar win, Melissa Leo thanks "everyone I have ever met." "Really and truly," she adds.

6:04 p.m.: Instead of a numerical countdown like in years past, the winners are faced with an upside-down white triangle that slowly appears on the TelePrompTer before the words "PLEASE WRAP UP, followed by "WRAP UP NOW." Melissa Leo spoke for several seconds before her triangle began appearing, but the "Toy Story 3" and "The Lost Thing" filmmakers were met with the three-sided object as soon as they were handed their Oscars.

6:09 p.m.: Anne Hathaway surprises everyone by coming out on stage during a break with a spinning raffle drum. She announces that she will be giving away a plate of sushi to the seat number she selects from the box. She's not kidding, either. There's a guy dressed like a butler who is holding a large platter of the stuff. The winner is someone in seat D71 in the top balcony.

6:46 p.m.: For the record, Matthew McConaughey was ad-libbing. There wasn't anything on the TelePrompTer about repeatedly saying the word "sound" in unison with Scarlett Johansson as they presented the awards for sound mixing and editing.

6:48 p.m.: Uh oh. Here's something you don't normally see at the Oscars, empty seats. Mark Wahlberg and his wife were somehow able to vacate their chairs without a seat-filler getting there in time to take them.

6:47 p.m. Apparently someone just couldn't wait to congratulate Atticus Ross for winning the Oscar for best original score for "The Social Network." "My phone was vibrating like crazy up there," he tells co-winner Trent Reznor as they leave the stage with their awards.

6:49 p.m.: Too much information. Russell Brand filling in Helen Mirren backstage on his plans after the two finished their Oscar presentations: "I'm going for a wee, then I'm going to sit with my mom."

7:04 p.m.: He wasn't the only one needing a bathroom break. Penelope Cruz and her husband, Javier Bardem, are seen ducking into a backstage bathroom together.

7:16 p.m.: Luke Matheny, the director, screenwriter and star of the live action short "God of Love," didn't let being stuck in the back of the orchestra section stop him from getting to the stage to collect his Oscar. The lanky filmmaker came barreling down the aisle faster than any winner this evening.

7:17 p.m.: Oprah Winfrey sums up what it was like to present an Oscar. "That was fun," she says to no one in particular as she leaves the stage.

7:27 p.m.: Wow. Billy Crystal just earned more laughs from this crowd with his first joke than Hathaway and Franco have all night.

7:35 p.m.: Talk about a close call. Kirk Baxter almost mowed down a cameraman while running down the aisle with Angus Wall to accept their best editing trophies for "The Social Network."

7:47 p.m.: Perpetual Oscar nominee Randy Newman leaves the crowd in stitches with his off-kilter acceptance speech after winning for best original song, only his second Oscar in 28 nominations. He apparently pleased the control room, too. He didn't get the dreaded "PLEASE WRAP UP" message after he went well over his time limit.

7:52 p.m.: There was no favoritism for any of the deceased during this year's in memoriam segment. Before Celine Dion takes the stage, the announcer suggests that everyone hold their applause until the end. They do.

8:03 p.m.: When complimented on his striped bow tie, Francis Ford Coppola proudly declares, "I tied it myself. ... No one ties their own ties anymore."

8:17 p.m.: Natalie Portman's family got a bird's eye view of "The Black Swan" star accepting her best actress Oscar. They were watching from a balcony box overlooking the audience. Portman's mother couldn't hold back the tears when her daughter's name was called.

8:30 p.m.: No racing for the parking lot tonight. The show is almost over, but you wouldn't know it from everyone still milling about in the theater, basking in the afterglow of Oscar.

8:41 p.m.: Those energy bars they handed out before the show's final hour must have really worked. Anne Hathaway is still charged up, rushing over to hug as many of the kid singers from New York City's Public School 22 as possible before dashing toward the audience to chat up Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter. Then it's time to pose for photos — with anyone who approaches.

Justin Bieber Mania

         Anywhere in the world you can see children and adults singing to the hit songs of Justin Bieber. Some imitate not just his voice but his looks, ways, acts and lifestyle. His official music videos that can be watched in YouTube has been viewed a hundred million times – a feat that any other music videos has yet to surpass. Aside from his music videos, there are zillions of other videos made by his fans as a tribute or plea to him. It can be music videos, dance videos, impersonation, comic acts or pleas or petition of diehard fans who found infatuation in this young emo sporting Canadian, a talent discovered by RnB artist Usher through watching his videos in YouTube and the rest is history making his way into the limelight of show business and entertainment. Justin Bieber mania has taken the scene.
         Justin Bieber is considered pop culture icon. He defined the popular culture of today’s generation hitting the scene like a heatwave. His good looks make up for his horrible voice that is why he is well loved by teen girls all over the world influencing and infecting like a virus other age groups like children, young adults and elders. Many teen girls and gays all over the world are dying to see him, crying to just meet him and/or take him for a date.
        His gentle and tame presence belies what is lurking behind. What or how accommodating and desirable the Justin Bieber he shows in public is how he is exactly the opposite off camera and out of the limelight. The real Justin Bieber is arrogant, egocentric young man who never cares about others but himself. Someone made some pleas and petition in his twitter account asking for his help, but he took them for granted and brush them aside with cold shoulders. He becomes a big-headed rascal and his brain was toxicated and poisoned by fame . He doesn’t care about people anymore but just talk and mingle with other celebrities. He is proud, boastful and doesn’t keep his feet on the ground.
        That’s what fame will bring out someone. Fame may be generous enough but it will also take its toll by bringing out what is best or what is worse about a person. Fame is very volatile – it is here now and gone tomorrow. Justin Bieber is very young, very fresh and youthful and has a childish voice today but years from now, he will grow old and mature looking and his voice will become hoarse thus, fans will be done with him. Don’t let fame ruin you and make you a monster. Instead use fame to be an inspiration to others and leave a lasting legacy.

Can I Pass The Acid Test of Hollywood?

See if I can pass the acid test of Hollywood?

Channing Tatum Gay?

I can't believe that Channing Tatum have done it with a guy. Is he gay? My eyes are wide open after knowing it.

Two Icons In One Day

It was a day of great sorrow and grief when the stars, two great icons in music and movies stop illuminating. They both died of a dreaded illness that cut short of their life, mutilated the peak of their career, and even shattered the hearts of many. Michael Jackson (1958-2009) the "King of Pop" died of cardiac arrest while Farrah Fawcett (1947 - 2009) one of the original member of "Charlie's Angels" succumbed to anal cancer.

Michael Jackson should not be blamed for the scandals and controversies he took headlines most especially with children because he himself was a victim as young kid. Young Michael Jackson was molested by his father and never fully enjoyed his youth because he already seriously working at a young age. Instead, we should remember and let us be reminded by the legacy he left us. His music, pioneering dance styles, his charities and ideals must serve as an inspiration to many. On the other hand, Farrah Fawcett should be commended for her exemplary life. She showed extreme strength and endurance despite the unbearable sufferings, she is losing ground with her battle against cancer yet she is a valiant warrior. A symbol for women and a woman of austerity behind the glamour of limelight.

The world is weeping over the loss of these two icons in just one day because they will surely miss them but by reliving their music, dance, movies and charities they will always be alive in our hearts.

Farrah Fawcett Loses Battle With Cancer at 62

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Farrah Fawcett has died after a long battle with cancer, Access Hollywood has confirmed.

Farrah died at 9:28 AM on Thursday at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 62.
"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," Farrah's longtime companion, Ryan O'Neal, said. "Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."

The actress, best known for her role in the '70s TV show "Charlie's Angels" and her iconic hair, was in the hospital earlier this month and a source close to Farrah told at the time that she was not doing well.
While her condition was deteriorating, those closest to Farrah wanted to take her home for her final days.
Her death comes just days after O'Neal revealed he had asked Farrah to be his wife.

"If she's feeling a little better, I've asked her to marry me again and she's agreed," Ryan said in a new interview with Barbara Walters for ABC's "20/20," set to air June 26.
"We will as soon as she can say, 'Yes.' Maybe she can nod her head. I promise you, we will."
However, a source has confirmed to Access that Ryan and Farrah did not get married prior to her death.

In addition, Ryan and Farrah's son, Redmond O'Neal, did not get to see his mother a second time on a court-allowed visit from jail. The last time Redmond saw Farrah was during his first and only court-allowed visit on April 25.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department told Access no requests had been made to transport Redmond to see his mother before she died.
Following her diagnosis with anal cancer in 2006, Farrah waged a very public battle against the disease, documenting her fight in "Farrah's Story," which aired in May on NBC and will re-air on June 26 at 8 PM. After several rounds of chemotherapy treatments, Farrah announced that she was cancer-free, but in May 2007, the cancer had returned and she underwent further treatment in Germany.

The star was born on February 2, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Even at a young age, Farrah caught people's attention - she was given the title "Most Beautiful" in high school.
She became an icon for her role as Jill Munroe in "Charlie's Angels" in the mid-'70s, inspiring fans to imitate her feathered blonde hair. She rose to sex symbol status thanks in part to a now-legendary swimsuit poster that sold over 12 million copies.

Farrah left the popular show after a single season, going on to star in a number of films, television shows and made-for-TV movies such as 1984's "The Burning Bed," which earned her an Emmy nomination.

The actress made further headlines in 1995, when she posed for Playboy at age 48.
Farrah is survived by her father James, longtime partner Ryan O'Neal, their son, Redmond O'Neal, who has dealt with numerous legal issues over the last few years, including most recently, an arrest for allegedly trying to bring heroin into an LA-area jail facility on April 5.