Entertainment NOW

TV Media Weekly | February 25 - March 3, 2017 By Kyla Brewer TV Media F ootball fans kicked off Feb- ruary with a bang, but for movie fans, the big show is at the end of the month. The Oscars is the Super Bowl of the film industry, and this year's com- petition is intense. Jimmy Kimmel ("Jimmy Kimmel Live!") welcomes the biggest stars in Hollywood to the Dolby Theatre as he hosts the 89th annual Acad- emy Awards, airing Sunday, Feb. 26, on ABC. America's oldest en- tertainment industry award, the Academy Awards — or Oscars, as they are commonly known — rec- ognizes cinematic excellence in the film industry over the course of the preceding year, from acting and writing to costume design, animation and more. The iconic golden Oscar statu- ette has become the most coveted trophy in the entertainment indus- try, and, perhaps, in living rooms around the world. In the past, lav- ish Oscar parties were all the rage as movie fans gathered friends to- gether to watch the ceremony and see their favorite stars accept the awards. These days, the party is a global one. Televised in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide, the event is expected to draw millions, if not hundreds of millions, of viewers. Academy CEO Dawn Hudson has faith that Kimmel will entertain them all. "He is razor sharp, funny and unpredictable, and has proven himself a master of live event tele- vision, which is perfect for our au- dience around the world," she said in an official ABC news re- lease. For his part, Kimmel already has his game face on: "I don't think of this as my first time hosting the Oscars, I think of this as my last time hosting the Oscars," he quipped in a promo for the show, later calling the gig "a tight wire act." Kimmel may be the quarter- back, but the star players are the nominees. In a pre-Oscar special, celebs hobnob on the legendary red carpet in one of the fashion in- dustry's biggest nights of the year. Almost as highly anticipated as the ceremony itself, the walk down the red carpet offers viewers a glimpse of Hollywood glamor before any statues are handed out. Chosen by members of the Academy, this year's list of nomi- nees includes a mix of major box office draws and heart wrenching gems. Nominations in 24 catego- ries were announced during a global live-stream event on oscar. com and oscars.org, as well as "Good Morning America," Tues- day, Jan. 24. "La La Land" — the critically lauded old-school Hollywood mu- sical — leads the list of nominees, earning an astounding 14 nomi- nations, which ties it with "Titan- ic" (1997) and "All About Eve" (1950) for the movie with the most nominations ever. "La La Land" has doubled its odds in the Best Song category with two nom- inations, one for "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" and the other for "City of Stars." Ryan Gosling ("The Notebook," 2004) and Emma Stone ("The Amazing Spi- der-Man," 2012) are both up in their respective leading actor cate- gories, and the film is up in the Best Picture category, which also includes "Arrival," "Fences," "Hacksaw Ridge," "Hell or High Water," "Hidden Figures," "Lion," "Manchester by the Sea" and "Moonlight." Barry Jenkins's "Moonlight" has been nominated for eight awards, while Australian film "Lion," war drama "Hacksaw Ridge" and small-town drama "Manchester by the Sea" each earned six Oscar nods. Gosling finds himself in good company in the Actor in a Leading Role category, which also includes Casey Affleck ("Manchester by the Sea"), Andrew Garfield ("Hack- saw Ridge"), Viggo Mortensen ("Captain Fantastic") and peren- nial favorite Denzel Washington ("Fences"). The women's field is equally impressive with Stone and peers Isabelle Huppert ("Elle"), Ruth Negga ("Loving"), Natalie Portman ("Jackie") and Oscar vet- eran Meryl Streep ("Florence Fos- ter Jenkins"). Mahershala Ali ("Moonlight"), Jeff Bridges ("Hell or High Wa- ter"), Lucas Hedges ("Manchester by the Sea"), Dev Patel ("Lion") and Michael Shannon ("Nocturnal Animals") are up for an Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar, while Viola Davis ("Fences"), Naomie Harris ("Moonlight"), Nicole Kidman ("Lion"), Octavia Spencer ("Hid- den Figures") and Michelle Wil- liams ("Manchester by the Sea") find themselves in contention for the supporting actress Oscar. Also of note is the fact that Mel Gibson has been nominated in the directing category for "Hacksaw Ridge" after years of being shunned in Hollywood following a scandal involving leaked audio re- cordings of Gibson allegedly mak- ing racist and anti-Semitic re- marks. The directing category also includes Denis Villeneuve for "Ar- rival," Damien Chazelle for "La La Land," Kenneth Lonergan for "Manchester by the Sea" and Bar- ry Jenkins for "Moonlight." In addition to this year's nomi- nees, the ceremony includes ap- pearances by all of last year's winners in the big acting catego- ries. Top actor Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Revenant"), actress Larson, supporting actor Mark Rylance ("Bridge of Spies") and support- ing actress Alicia Vikander ("The Danish Girl") return to the Oscar stage to present the awards in their respective categories. More than a few viewers will likely tune in to see whether the presenters and honorees will take a political stand when they take the stage. Since President Trump took office, many celebri- ties have been very vocal about their opinions of his policies and awards season has provided a prime opportunity to share their thoughts. This year's Oscar ceremony is one to watch. Celebrate the year in film as Kimmel hosts the 89th annual Academy Awards, airing Sunday, Feb. 26, on ABC. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as seen in "La La Land" Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 89th annual Academy Awards 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4"

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