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Mother Dolores Hart Hollywood, Calif., Feb 17, 2012 / 04:12 am (CNA).- Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B., a former actress turned cloistered nun, will attend her first Academy Awards show since 1959 to show support for “God is the Bigger Elvis,” an Oscar-nominated documentary about her and her abbey.Mother Dolores, 73, was an award-winning actress who performed in two Elvis Presley movies. In 1963, she was about to sign a seven-figure contract and was engaged to a Los Angeles businessman when she decided to join the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn, where she is now prioress.The 37-minute...

Billy Crystal is coming back to host the Oscars. The comedian, who has hosted the show nine times, tweeted the news this afternoon. "Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show," he wrote. Crystal, who last had the job in 2004, takes over after a string of incidents left the show without a host and producer. Brett Ratner dramatically stepped down Tuesday as producer after saying “Rehearsal’s for fags” at a Q&A for “Tower Heist” last week, and then talking to...

LOS ANGELES — Eddie Murphy is dropping out as the host of the Oscars telecast, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the show’s producer Brett Ratner stepped aside amid a storm of criticism over his use of an anti-gay slur over the weekend. . The hasty departures represented an embarrassing collapse of the Academy’s plans for the Oscar presentation and left it with just over three months to fill key roles for one of the most elaborately staged television shows of the year. Mr. Ratner, who was named the Oscar co-producer...

The rumors became a reality Tuesday: Eddie Murphy will host the 84th Academy Awards, which will be telecast Feb. 26 on ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced. Buzz started circulating over Labor Day weekend that the 50-year-old comedian-actor was being considered for the host job. In some ways, it's no surprise, since Murphy is starring in the upcoming film "Tower Heist," which was directed by Brett Ratner -- who is also producing the Academy Awards show with Don Mischer. "Tower Heist" is set to open in November. By selecting Murphy, the academy is returning to...

While Harvey Weinstein celebrated his Oscars win of four of the coveted awards for The King’s Speech and chirped among a bevy of celebrities at the famed Sunset Tower Hotel, following the Oscars, green celebrity Jane Fonda (a.k.a. Hanoi Jane) was in the back, exercising a little green Oscars celebration of her own at the Vanity Fair Oscars party. The New York Daily News reports: During one trip to a bar in the back of the tent, we recognized the familiar aroma of marijuana, and then caught sight of “Easy Rider” star Peter Fonda standing in the corner with his...

The last time NewsRealBlog checked in on Natalie Portman, the actress was selling some new, decidedly-PC ideas about sex and love. But since her appearance at the Academy Awards accepting the Best Actress award for Black Swan, Portman has found herself on the other side of the feminist divide. LifeNews.com reports that part of her speech didn’t sit well with everyone: After thanking fellow nominees, her parents, and the directors past and present who guided her career, Portman saved her concluding praise for “my beautiful love,” dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. Then, as if to underscore how the bright and...

Just because you did good work on a great movie does not mean your political opinions matter. Somebody should have told that to cinematographer Wally Pfister before he accepted Inception's Academy Award for Best Cinematography; that way we might have been spared a lecture about Wisconsin's horribly oppressed unions. Jim Hoft has the scoop on Pfister’s acceptance speech shout-out to his union crew, and his backstage elaboration: “I think that what is going on in Wisconsin is kind of madness right now,” Pfister says. “I have been a union member for 30 years and what the union has given to...

The ratings for the Oscars were down again. I don't know if they've figured out what the reason is yet, but I would be surprised that one of them isn't the narcissistic of winners to use their moment on stage to pontificate to the world. It's not just the Oscars, it's all the awards shows, these idiots just can't help themselves When Al Gore did it he declared to a packed house of limosine liberals, who live their lives to the absolute height of excess, that we should all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint. I drive a...

A smaller audience tuned in for the Academy Awards Sunday night on ABC, reversing two years of growth for one of television's biggest events. About 37.6 million people watched, down 9.9% from the 41.7 million, a year ago, according to early Nielsen Co. data. "The King's Speech," broadly viewed as the favorite, picked up the top honor. The ceremony ranked as the fifth lowest since at least 1974, according to Nielsen. That could add urgency to deliberations within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over whether to move the Oscars a month or so earlier, to get ahead...

As of this evening, Charles Ferguson is no longer just a documentary filmmaker, he is now a Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker for his film Inside Job. The film focused on the connections between the government and financial institutions that led to insane levels of profit-taking which endangered the global economy. Mr. Ferguson will also be known for creating perhaps the most entertaining and contentious moment during a thus far lackluster Academy Awards when he pointedly noted that no one has gone to jail for the financial misconduct. It was the first quasi-political moment In a broadcast that has been...

One of the wire services reported that the Oscars show Sunday night was aiming to be younger and hipper.  The producers succeeded - which was what made the Oscars stink.  Actually, "younger and hipper" has been arresting the Oscars for more than a few years - just as it's been retarding American popular culture since the 1960s. Watching last night's Oscars, one is reminded a bit of Anthony Burgess' classical novel, A Clockwork Orange.  It begs the question: "Where have all the adults gone?"         Viewers were treated to a long train of twenty-something and thirty-something actors and actresses making...

You just knew Hollywood couldn't get through an Oscars broadcast without subjecting viewers to self-important statements of left-wing politics. War, AIDS, gay marriage, global warming - pick a liberal hobby horse and chances are an entertainer used the Academy Awards to give America his or her opinion on it.

As one essayist wrote not long ago, it's become an article of faith in Conservative America that Hollywood is a “collection of hopeless la-la-land liberals — or worse, an elitist gaggle of heartland-bashing snobs.” Conservatives have routinely ridiculed Oscar movies for attacking the military (“Avatar”), promoting homosexuality (“Milk” and “Brokeback Mountain”) and depicting corporate executives as evil villains (“The Constant Gardener” and “Syriana”). So it must've been quite a shock to watch all the la-la-liberals at the Oscars Sunday night honoring their elders and celebrating tradition on a show where the first clip of the night was from “Gone With...

As some of you watch the leftists, who tell us how to live our lives and save the planet, while they use 10 to 100 times the energy we use, perhaps this sing-along will bring you a smile on Oscar night. YOUTUBE = THEY SUCK IN HOLLYWOOD

Every year since 1929, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has crowned the year’s finest film. But which is the greatest Best Picture winner of all time? We entered the past 72 title-holders — beginning with 1938’s “You Can’t Take It With You” and ending with 2009’s “The Hurt Locker” — into a March Madness-style tournament, adjudicated by Post film critics Lou Lumenick and Kyle Smith.

Well it’s that time of year when all of the rich leftists in Hollywood get out their $40,000 dollar gowns, put on their millions in jewelry, climb into their limos, and head up to the Kodak Theater to pat themselves on the back for being working class heroes. I couldn’t care less about which picture or actor gets a trophy, I just love listening to the political correctness and monumental hubris on display for the world to see. This year I have decided to add my own category. The category is: Which liberal cause will come up most often during...

How all good Leftists (AKA HOLLYWOOD) must have voted:Follow along on this Oscar Nomination list.Best Picture:As you can see from this Big Hollywood article from Lawrence Meyers, a majority of these nominees are not worthy.It's clear that there is only one movie that you could've voted for in this category with a clear conscience: The Kids Are Alright.from John Nolte's review:Remove from this little family drama the gratuitous girl-on-girl sex, the guy-on-girl sex, and the ridiculously unnecessary and explicit images from a guy-on-guy gay porn film that no amount of hypnotism or bleach could ever erase from my mind,...

Note the quotes around "actor."

I'm certainly not the first to come up with this angle...check out an excellent "Socialist Network" piece at The People's Cube.

What is it about being an Oscar-winning actor that makes a person think their moment of professional recognition is a green-light to lecture the rest of society? I can't think of a another profession that does this. If my boss called my department into a room and presented me with a plague distinguishing me as Employee of the Year, I don't think it would occur to me to address the socialist influences which have defined the Obama administration and how much I detest Nancy Pelosi. In fact, I'm pretty sure that, if I did, they would take the plaque back....

Cover story: Where's the diversity at the Oscars?By Lisa Respers France, CNN January 26, 2011 1:54 p.m. EST (CNN) -- After the Academy Awards ceremony in 2010, there was a great deal of hope that the glass ceiling had finally been shattered in Hollywood. "The Kathryn Bigelow" effect was coined by some industry observers who believed that her win for "The Hurt Locker," the first Oscar for a woman director, would open doors of opportunity for females behind the camera. The riveting film "Precious" yielded a best supporting actress win for African-American performer Mo'Nique, and the first ever statuette for...

The nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced live this morning in Beverly Hills, California. They were read by Academy President Tom Sherak and last year's Best Supporting Actress winner, Mo'Nique. The British monarchy saga "The King's Speech" led the pack for this year's Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including best picture and acting honors for Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. The Coen brothers' western remake of "True Grit" snagged 10 nominations, just ahead of "The Social Network," David Fincher's Facebook drama which racked up eight. Entertainment's most esteemed award ceremony will take place from the...

Complete list of 83rd Annual Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday: 1. Best Picture: "Black Swan," ''The Fighter," ''Inception," ''The Kids Are All Right," ''The King's Speech," ''127 Hours," ''The Social Network," ''Toy Story 3," ''True Grit," ''Winter's Bone."

BEVERLY HILLS, California — The British monarchy saga "The King's Speech" leads the Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including best picture and acting honors for Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. Also nominated for best picture Tuesday were the psychosexual thriller "Black Swan"; the boxing drama "The Fighter"; the sci-fi blockbuster "Inception"; the lesbian-family tale "The Kids Are All Right"; the survival story "127 Hours"; the Facebook chronicle "The Social Network"; the animated smash "Toy Story 3"; the Western "True Grit"; and the Ozarks crime thriller "Winter's Bone." "True Grit" ran second with 10 nominations, including acting honors...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday morning that actors James Franco and Anne Hathaway will host the 83rd annual Oscar telecast Feb. 27 on ABC -- a move that certainly seems designed to help the academy achieve its long-held goal of attracting a younger viewing audience. The 32-year-old Franco is currently receiving rave reviews for his work in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" and the 28-year-old Hathaway, currently starring in the new romantic drama "Love & Other Drugs," earned a best actress nomination for 2008's "Rachel Getting Married." "James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation...

Sigourney Weaver has launched a blistering attack on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, saying James Cameron didn't win the Oscar for Best Director because he "didn't have breasts." Outspoken "Avatar" star Weaver said she believed Cameron -- who lost out to his ex-wife, "The Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow -- didn't win because the academy wanted to make history by naming its first ever female Best Director. "Jim didn't have breasts, and I think that was the reason," Weaver told Brazilian news site Folha Online over the weekend. "He should have taken home that Oscar In a...

Hollywood's best stepped out in their finest for the 82nd annual Academy Awards. Here are highlights from the red carpet.

Here's a scene from the red carpet at a recent Hollywood award ceremony. Ok, it's a cartoon, so it didn't REALLY happen. Even so, you wouldn't be surprised if it DID! Why? Because it would make too much sense! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and quit bellyaching about doing so if you're too lazy to click the link. Also please don't copy the comic and repost it within this thread. Thanks y'all!

Hats off to Cameron Diaz, who was out till well after 4am on the morning of the Oscars at the party Harvey Weinstein threw at Soho House's sexy digs on Sunset Boulevard. She had about four hours sleep before she had to try on a rack of gowns for the Academy Awards. Incredibly, she was full of vim when she stopped to say 'Hi' to me on the Oscar red carpet. She did her little gig on stage for the awards show.

Farrah Fawcett was left out of the Oscar memorial tributes because she was better known as a TV star, it was disclosed yesterday The former Charlie's Angels beauty was one of the biggest names to pass away last year and millions of fans around the world mourned her loss. However, the producers of the Academy Awards on Sunday night neglected to add her list to a montage celebrating the movie industry's deaths of 2009. Michael Jackson, Natasha Richardson, David Carradine and Brittany Murphy were among the stars featured.

It was no oversight. The executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has apologized to the friends, family and fans of Farrah Fawcett, who was conspicuously omitted from Sunday night's Oscar-event tribute to Hollywood personalities who had died over the past year. While some agents and publicists, besides actors, were included in the memorial, Fawcett, a high-profile star better known for her TV work (who also appeared on the big screen), was not. Neither was Gene Barry -- who was seen in both versions of "War of the Worlds" -- or Bea Arthur. Among those criticizing...

Millions in America watched the Academy Awards in record numbers but one of the biggest wins of the night had to have been the 45-year-old actress Sandra Bullock who won Best Actress for her winning colorblind portrayal of a real-life story. Ms. Bullock played Leigh Anne Tuohy who demonstrated great moral character in helping Michael Oher’s on-screen character when he was homeless as well as educationally rudderless. This was truly an example of Christian love. Others in America were not so kind in their acceptance of Sandra Bullock in this role. Some called it patronizing and contrived to think that...

<p>The audience for Sunday night's Academy Awards grew for the second time in as many years, indicating that live events continue to draw big audiences amid the overall fragmentation of the television landscape.</p> <p>An average of about 41.3 million people in the U.S. were watching the three-and-a-half-hour show at any given minute, according to preliminary Nielsen Co. estimates, up 14% from last year. It was the biggest audience since 2005, when Best Picture was awarded to the film "Million Dollar Baby."</p>

Hollywood may have gone to war, but the Academy Awards Red Carpet was filled with peace and serenity, showy outfits and spectacular ensembles. It was the night for the Leading Ladies of Tinseltown to showcase their best, and the Stars and A-List Celebs came through, glittering like gold, smelling like Chanel and bedazzling us with their chic couture. There are many more images for your perusal at The Fashion Time

Hurt Locker which was a sort of, kind of pro Iraq War movie beat Avatar, a conspicuously anti American, anti soldier cartoon designed by the virulently liberal, self-admitted anti war guy, James Cameron. Hurt Locker did have to portray a heroic soldier in the mandatory Hollywood style - as a crazy cowboy. But then again, as a Vietnam veteran who returned from that infamous "police action" as a certified psychotic, I can identify with the Hurt Locker director's intentions. Conservatives are varied in their opinions of the patriocity of the movie. George Clooney, it is reported, looked devastated as he...

The first advert promoting Apple’s iPad device went live last night during the Oscars. The 30-second advert takes the viewer on a whirlwind tour of all of the functions the hotly anticipated tablet style computer is capable of, to a soundtrack of The Blue Van’s 'There Goes My Love’. The surprise spot advert launched after the news emerged last week that the iPad will go on sale in the US on April 3 and follow suit around the world on an unconfirmed date in ‘late April’. British consumers will be able to buy both the Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi and...

Films and Faith: Redemption themes dominate Oscar flicks (click URL to view video)

Anyone who still likes to see the stars, the dresses, the fun of watching liberals do their thing, please join me! Dishing and heavy sarcasm welcome!

Click the link.

3.1M without cable for Oscar nightUpdated: Sunday, 07 Mar 2010, 1:01 PM EST NEW YORK (AP) - Millions of cable subscribers faced the prospect of Oscar night without the Academy Awards broadcast Sunday after ABC's parent company switched off its signal to Cablevision customers and the two companies blasted each other for failing to reach a deal in a dispute over fees. In dueling statements dispatched early Sunday, the two companies traded blame for the stalemate ahead of one of the most-watched nights of television. "Cablevision has once again betrayed its subscribers," said Charissa Gilmore, a spokeswoman for the Walt...

ABC went dark Saturday night on New York-area Cablevision systems. The static came as ABC and Cablevision were not able to come to an retransmission agreement by the midnight Saturday deadline imposed by Disney. The Alphabet's WABC-TV was in the middle of a season two off-net repeat of "Lost" -- "Three Minutes," which centers on Michael's decision to betray his fellow castaways -- when the cord was yanked. WABC replaced the feed it sends to Cablevision with a sternly-worded on-screen message: "Cablevision betrayed you again. First HGTV and Food Network, now they lost ABC 7. Enough is Enough. Go to...

Twenty-nine years, 93 interviews, one regret. That's Barbara Walters' personal scorecard when it comes to ranking her internationally famous Oscar-night interviews that come to a close Sunday evening in a program featuring Mo'Nique and Sandra Bullock. For nearly three decades, the interviews made up one of the most sought-after, eagerly watched, highest-rated programs on television, but now, Walters has decided to stop doing them. It's not a retirement, because she admits that she's going to continue delving into the private lives of the world's big names, but the showbiz-specific package she puts together at Oscar time each year will be...

New Line is looking for recruits for a relaunched "Police Academy" movie. Original producer Paul Maslansky is back for the new iteration, which has no writer or director attached. "Academy" was a seven-film lowbrow comedy series from Warner Bros. that saw a city throw open the doors of its police force to any recruit, much to the chagrin of its serious officers. The misfit officers band together and, of course, save the city. The first film, released in 1984, starred Steve Guttenberg as Mahoney, a repeat offender who is forced to enter the academy and emerges as the group's leader....

We'll wrap up the Texas Governor Primary coverage with an interview with Kelsey Orr from the Perry campaign. Plus+ Supersonic Rumor Generation, our lost milliseconds, and here come the Oscars - with twice as many movies to complain about. Live at 3pmE/2pmTX/NoonP Listen live here. Call-in number: 347-327-9710

FOX easily won the night as American Idol dominated. It’s 8.5/23 with adults 18-49 between 8-10p outpaced the combined competition. CBS’s Wednesday comedy block suffered with The New Adventures of Old Christine down 26% from its last new episode and Gary Unmarried was down 17%. Criminal Minds fared much better, down only 3% from its last original outing. CSI:NY was down 9% as Law & Order: SVU gave it much more of a run for the money than The Jay Leno Show ever did, and NBC rose from the cellar to take third place for the night. ABC had a...

March 4, 2010 Everyone hates each other — it’s Hollywood Kathryn Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker, during filming. A producer has been banned from the Oscars Chris Ayres, Los Angeles It is a night of glittering statues, pristine red carpets and gracious speeches. But behind the air-kisses, smiles and displays of magnanimity at the annual Oscars ceremony, dirty, though often expensive, battles go on, with competitors more than willing to knife each other if it means taking home a trophy. After all, winning means more business at the box office and higher fees in the future. Not to mention...

LOS ANGELES - A producer of the war story "The Hurt Locker" will not be allowed to attend Sunday's Academy Awards because of e-mails he sent urging academy members to vote for his movie, Oscar overseers said Tuesday. But Nicolas Chartier will receive an Oscar at a later date if "The Hurt Locker" wins best picture. The executive committee of the producers branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences imposed the penalty on Chartier, who violated Oscar rules that prohibit mailings promoting a film and disparaging another. ...

Many film critics -- and awards voters -- have praised “The Hurt Locker’s” depiction of the U.S. military in Iraq, often singling out the bomb disposal drama for its authenticity. But as the film emerges as a favorite to win the best picture Oscar, a number of active soldiers and veterans say the film is Hollywood hokum, portraying soldiers as renegades while failing to represent details about combat accurately. The criticism, coming just before Oscar ballots are due Tuesday, highlights the delicate relationship between "The Hurt Locker" and the nation's armed forces. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates says the film...

It’s Oscar time. Unfortunately — or perhaps fortunately — I haven’t seen anywhere near all of the contenders. For that reason alone, I can’t write an Oscar column. Then throw in the fact that I think the Oscars are one of the most overhyped events in American life. They’re almost as bad as the Grammys were when they were still around. Wait, they still have those? Really? OK, well, the Oscars are still overrated. But I do love movies, and I’m fascinated by what they say about American life. Of course, movies don’t always reflect or articulate what moviegoers are...

Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard graces the cover and more of the June/July 2009 issue of BlackBook. It’s a fantastic shoot for the generally staid actress, as she releases her inner vixen and dark Victorian eyes. And those cheekbones. Marion has rarely looked better or sexier.