Sunday, February 22, 2015

The 2015 Academy Awards: Complete Oscar Winners List


"Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" won Best Picture at the 87th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, besting "American Sniper," "Boyhood," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," "The Imitation Game," "Selma," "The Theory of Everything" and "Whiplash" for the honor.

"Birdman" won three other Oscars: Best Director for Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki (his second Oscars win in a row after last year's "Gravity") and Best Original Screenplay.

It wasn't a total route for "Birdman": star Michael Keaton lost Best Actor to Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything."

The other acting awards went to Julianne Moore (Best Actress for "Still Alice"), J.K. Simmons (Best Supporting Actor for "Whiplash") and Patricia Arquette (Best Supporting Actress for "Boyhood").

"Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" tied for the most nominations going into the night with nine, and each film won four awards. Anderson's drama took home Best Original Score for Alexandre Desplat, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

"Whiplash" was another big winner, with three Oscars: Simmons' award, Best Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

Poland's "Ida" won Best Foreign Language Film, the first film from Poland to ever win the Oscar in the category. "Big Hero 6" won Best Animated Film. Laura Poitras' "Citizenfour" won Best Documentary.
Common and John Legend won Best Original Song for "Glory" from "Selma."

A full list of this year's winners is below....

The Sexiest Red Carpet Looks At The 2015 Oscars


Jennifer Aniston looked red hot in her strapless Versace and Fred Leighton jewelry.

Meanwhile, new mom Scarlett Johansson wore an interesting emerald green number, with what looked like fancy kale around her neck ... is that a necklace or part of the dress? And what the heck happened to her hair? She shaved off the sides and left the long top, a la Kelly Osbourne. I guess it takes less time to style in the morning when you've got to tend to baby.

And newcomer Dakota Johnson kept it simple and sexy in Saint Laurent -- a sleek, slinky red number, appropriate for the star of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Black And White And RED All Over!


Reese Witherspoon wore a simple black-and-white strapless column dress, but it couldn't be classier or more chic and unusual for America's Sweetheart. The look is Tom Ford -- Reese and other A-listers attended, and WALKED in the famous designers pre-Oscar runway show.

Meanwhile, Sienna Miller wore Oscar de la Renta -- which is actually black and navy. The American Sniper star's dress was see-through lace on the bottom half of the skirt and the bodice featured velvet bows.

Lady Gaga, Keira Knightley And Jennifer Lopez Go Big!


Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez obviously believe they should go big or go home!

And that, they did ... Gaga donned custom Alaia -- the designer's first-ever Oscars design. The singer will perform tonight and wear ... count 'em, no fewer than THREE custom pieces by Azzedine.

Gaga posed with an unlikely pal -- the more understated Keira Knightley, who wore an embroidered tulle and silk, high-waisted dress over her baby bump. The look is Valentino ... perfection!

The biggest surprise was Jennifer Lopez in a fuller-than-full Elie Saab gown covered in sequins, looking like a hot, Latina fairy princess.

Jack Nicholson: I'll Sell You My Lakers Tickets... I'm Sorta Over It


Jack Nicholson says he's willing to sell you his tickets for face value ... since he's not as motivated to go the Staples Center as he used to be.

It's actually pretty sad ... Nicholson -- who's been a staple at the Lakers games for decades -- was leaving Madeo in Beverly Hills when he told a paparazzi he's just not as into the Lake Show as he used to be. We're guessing the team's abysmal record has a lot to do with it.

The good news? You could sit right next to stars like Leo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg ... that is, if they even feel like showing up these days.

Box Office: 'Fifty Shades' Crosses $400 Million Globally Despite Big Drop In U.S.


Universal's Fifty Shades of Grey declined a massive 73 percent in its second outing in North America, suggesting that most of the movie's sizzle came during the first weekend.

Still, the film adaptation of EL James' S&M-laced romance novel has nothing to be embarrassed about. Fifty Shades easily stayed No. 1 everywhere as it raced past the $400 million mark globally, an enviable feat. Domestically, the $40 million film earned $23.2 million for a 10-day total of $130.1 million.

Overseas, Fifty Shades is far more of a powerhouse, declining 57 percent to $68.1 million for a whopping international total of $280.5 million. The movie remained No. 1 in 50 markets.

Everyone was expecting a big falloff in the U.S., considering Fifty Shades' record-breaking $85 million debut over Valentine's Day and Presidents Day weekend, although it declined more than other female-fueled properties based on a book (as an example, The Fault in Our Stars fell 70 percent). Fifty Shades ranks roughly No. 35 on the list of biggest declines.

Birdman Wins Big At 2015 Independent Spirit Awards


While some stars were partying it up on Oscars eve, others opted for a more celebratory gathering at this year's Independent Spirit Awards!

The final award show before the big one honored some of the year's top films, with Birdman coming away with many of the more prestigious awards for the night including Best Picture and Best Actor (Michael Keaton). Boyhood was hot on its heels as it took Best Director and Best Supporting Female (Patricia Arquette) in what some say could be a solid indicator of what to expect at the highly anticipated 87th Academy Awards.

Stars like Scarlett Johansson, Olivia Munn and Kerry Washington were on hand to celebrate with their peers and take in the festivities for the night. See the complete list of winners as well as who else attended the award show.

Trumpet Master Clark Terry Dies At Age 94


Clark Terry, a Grammy award-winning trumpet player and composer who recorded with greats such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Quincy Jones, has died aged 94, his wife said on Sunday.

Terry, who had gone into hospice care after suffering from diabetes, "has joined the big band in heaven where he'll be singing and playing with the angels", Gwen Terry said on the musician's Facebook page.
"He left us peacefully, surrounded by his family, students and friends." 

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Terry won fame after serving several years in the navy, playing with Count Basie and Duke Ellington from the late 1940s through the 1950s, before joining The Tonight Show band, where he played under its famed bandleader Doc Severinsen.

According to his website, Terry is one of the most recorded musicians in the history of jazz, with more than 900 recordings with names such as Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Billy Strayhorn and Thelonious Monk.