Friday, October 31, 2014

134 Documentary Feature Films Submitted for the 2014 Oscar Race

The Academy announced the list of 134 Documentary Featured Films that have been submitted for consideration for the 87th Academy Awards!


I have had the chance to view several of these submission during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The competition is incredibly tough in this category. 

Several of the submitted Documentary Feature Films have not met the required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules in order to advance in the voting process.  A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, as long as they meet the requirements for those categories.
Here is the list of the 134 Documentary Featured Films that have been submitted for consideration.
“Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq”
“Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case”
“Algorithms”
“Alive Inside”
“All You Need Is Love”
“Altina”
“America: Imagine the World without Her”
“American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”
“Anita”
“Antarctica: A Year on Ice”
“Art and Craft”
“Awake: The Life of Yogananda”
“The Barefoot Artist”
“The Battered Bastards of Baseball”
“Before You Know It”
“Bitter Honey”
“Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity”
“Botso The Teacher from Tbilisi”
“Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart”
“The Case against 8”
“Cesar’s Last Fast”
“Citizen Koch”
“CitizenFour”
“Code Black”
“Concerning Violence”
“The Culture High”
“Cyber-Seniors”
“DamNation”
“Dancing in Jaffa”
“Death Metal Angola”
“The Decent One”
“Dinosaur 13”
“Do You Know What My Name Is?”
“Documented”
“The Dog”
“E-Team”
“Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me”
“Elena”
“Evolution of a Criminal”
“Fed Up”
“Finding Fela”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
“Food Chains”
“The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden”
“Getting to the Nutcracker”
“Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me”
“Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia”
“The Great Flood”
“The Great Invisible”
“The Green Prince”
“The Hacker Wars”
“The Hadza: Last of the First”
“Hanna Ranch”
“Happy Valley”
“The Hornet’s Nest”
“I Am Ali”
“If You Build It”
“The Immortalists”
“The Internet’s Own Boy”
“Ivory Tower”
“James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge”
“Jodorowsky’s Dune”
“Journey of a Female Comic”
“Keep On Keepin’ On”
“Kids for Cash”
“The Kill Team”
“Korengal”
“La Bare”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“Last Hijack”
“The Last Patrol”
“Levitated Mass”
“Life Itself”
“Little White Lie”
“Llyn Foulkes One Man Band”
“Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles”
“Manakamana”
“Merchants of Doubt”
“Mission Blue”
“Mistaken for Strangers”
“Mitt”
“Monk with a Camera”
“Nas: Time Is Illmatic”
“National Gallery”
“Next Goal Wins”
“Next Year Jerusalem”
“Night Will Fall”
“No Cameras Allowed”
“Now: In the Wings on a World Stage”
“Occupy the Farm”
“The Only Real Game”
“The Overnighters”
“Particle Fever”
“Pay 2 Play: Democracy’s High Stakes”
“Pelican Dreams”
“The Pleasures of Being Out of Step”
“Plot for Peace”
“Point and Shoot”
“Poverty Inc.”
“Print the Legend”
“Private Violence”
“Pump”
“Rabindranath Tagore – The Poet of Eternity”
“Red Army”
“Remote Area Medical”
“Rich Hill”
“The Rule”
“The Salt of the Earth”
“Shadows from My Past”
“She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry”
“A Small Section of the World”
“Smiling through the Apocalypse – Esquire in the 60s”
“Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon”
“The Supreme Price”
“Tales of the Grim Sleeper”
“Tanzania: A Journey Within”
“This Is Not a Ball”
“Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence”
“Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People”
“True Son”
“20,000 Days on Earth”
“Unclaimed”
“Under the Electric Sky”
“Underwater Dreams”
“Virunga”
“Waiting for August”
“Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago”
“Warsaw Uprising”
“Watchers of the Sky”
“Watermark”
“We Are the Giant”
“We Could Be King”
“Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger”
“A World Not Ours”


The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 AM PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. 

Re: Your Brains

This is one of my favorite songs this time of year. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween! 


"Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton



Thursday, October 30, 2014

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Dumbledora The Explorer

This guy may be a genius. 

Halloween is coming!

Halloween is just two days away! We want to help you start your celebrations off right with one of our favorite holiday songs, "Halloween"by Stephen Lynch. Enjoy!


Happy Halloween!


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Marvel Studios announces Phase Three of upcoming releases.


It was a big day for Marvel Studios in Hollywood today! Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige took the stage at the El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard to announce the next line up of Marvel releases following the release of the upcoming, "Avengers: Age of Ultron".

After the exciting new broke yesterday that the one and only Benedict Cumberbatch would be playing Doctor Strange, we knew there was a lot of great Marvel news to come.

Phase Three of the Marvel lineup announced

Feige announced eight new Marvel films, including the two-part "Avengers: Infinity Wars" that will release Part 1 and Part 2 a year apart from each other. The rest of the lineup is as follows:

Captain America: Serpent Society
May 2016

Doctor Strange
November 2016

Guardians of the Galaxy 2
May 2017

Thor: Ragnarok
July 2017

Black Panther
November 2017

Avengers: Infinity War (Part 1)
May 2018

Captain Marvel
July 2018

Inhumans
November 2018

Avengers: Infinity War (Part 2)
May 2019

We couldn't be more excited for these new Marvel announcements! We also can't forget about the much anticipated "Ant-Man" that is slated for release in July of 2015. Stay tuned to our site for more details as they become available.


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Marvel releases the Official "Avengers: Age of Ultron" Teaser Trailer

It's finally here! Marvel released the teaser trailer for the much anticipated "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and we couldn't be more excited! I've been looking forward to seeing how James Spader would take on the role of Ultron. From this teaser, it seems like he's going to be amazing! Check out the teaser trailer below!


The release of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is still more than six months away, so this teaser trailer will have to do for now. May 1, 2015 can't come soon enough!


"Avengers: Age of Ultron" hits theaters May 1, 2015




Monday, October 20, 2014

Episode 30 - New Found Glory

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ON ITUNES HERE

In this new episode of On the Mic Podcast I talked with New Found Glory frontman Jordan Pundik.

Jordan Pundik

New Found Glory recently released their new album "Resurrection" on October 7th, and are also currently headlining the Glamour Kills Tour. I talked with Jordan about the new album, watching their fan base grow, being a band for almost 20 years, what keeps the synergy of the band and so much more. 


I realized while prepping for this interview that I have been listening to New Found Glory for 15 years. Not very many things make me feel old, but this definitely made me feel old. For half of my life I have been listening to New Found Glory. I've had the chance to meet the guys several times and they have always been one of the kindest bands to their fans. 

#tbt - Tim with Jordan at the Vans Warped Tour in 2007

New Found Glory
(Cyrus, Jordan, Ian, Chad)

A huge thanks to Jordan Pundik for taking the time out from their tour to talk with me. It was great to learn more about the band and about Jordan during this interview. Make sure to go pick up New Found Glory' new album "Resurrection" today! Follow Jordan and the band on Twitter and check them out on the Glamor Kills Tour. 

Thanks, Jordan!

Enjoy the episode!







OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR "SELFLESS"









Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting the 2015 Oscars!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting the the 87th Academy Awards today!


I have been a huge fan of Neil's work throughout his entire career, and have loved seeing him host the Tony's and the Emmy's in the past. Neil is going to be a fantastic host for the Oscars and we couldn't be more excited to see what he brings. Here is the official Press Release from The Academy on the announcement today.

via The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

LOS ANGELES, CA – Award-winning star of stage and screen Neil Patrick Harris will host the 87th Oscars®, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today.  This will be Harris’ first time hosting the ceremony.   The show will air live on ABC on Oscar® Sunday, February 22, 2015.
"We are thrilled to have Neil host the Oscars," said Zadan and Meron. "We have known him his entire adult life, and we have watched him explode as a great performer in feature films, television and stage.  To work with him on the Oscars is the perfect storm, all of his resources and talent coming together on a global stage."
“It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year’s Academy Awards.  I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show,” said Harris. “To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true.”

“We share Craig and Neil’s excitement in welcoming the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris,” said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President.  “He is the consummate entertainer.  Neil’s distinctive charm and showmanship make him the ideal host to honor the Oscar legacy and ensure we all enjoy another unforgettable celebration.”
“Neil is a terrific actor, singer, risk-taker and collaborator,” said Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO. “We can't wait to see the show that he and Craig and Neil create together.” 
“Neil Patrick Harris is highly energetic and a definitive entertainer,” said Paul Lee. “We are thrilled to have him as our 2015 Oscar host.”
A triple-threat performer, Harris has enjoyed a successful career in entertainment.  He can currently be seen starring opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed feature film, “Gone Girl.”  Harris garnered multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe award nominations for his role as Barney Stinson on the hit television series, “How I Met Your Mother,” and he won an Emmy for his guest-starring role on “Glee” in 2010.  He also recently starred in the title role of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Broadway, earning the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.  Harris served as host of the 61st and 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the 63rd, 65th, 66th and 67th Tony Awards, for which he won four Emmys.  Most recently, Harris added the title of author to his list of accomplishments with the release of his autobiography from Crown Publishing, “Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography.”   
The last two Oscars telecasts, which were produced by Zadan and Meron, received a major spike in the ratings.  The 86th Oscars was TV’s most-watched entertainment event in 10 years and attracted the biggest viewership since 2000, with more than 45 million viewers.  The show resulted in dramatic gains in younger demos and social media conversation, with more than one billion impressions generated on Twitter and 25 million interactions happening on Facebook on Oscar Sunday.  Additionally, the star-studded “selfie” became the most retweeted photo of all time with 32.8 million views.
The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 4 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.


For updates on the 2015 Oscars, follow Neil Patrick Harris, The Academy, and On the Mic on Twitter!





Monday, October 13, 2014

Coal Miners - Bill Hader's cut SNL sketch

Bill Hader was back at SNL this week! It was great to see Bill take on some of our favorite roles, especially the fan favorite, Stefon. However, his best role was possibly one that ended up being cut from the show.


The sketch "Coal Miners" ended up being cut for time, but Bill Hader, cracking the entire time, was hilarious in the role of Levar the Gossipy Coal Miner. Check out this hilarious sketch below!


Bill Hader was an excellent host and we really can't wait to see him back at SNL. If you haven't watched the episode yet, make sure you check it out on Hulu! 



83 Countries competing for the 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar

The 87th Academy Awards submissions for the Foreign Language Oscar have been accepted with a record total of 83 countries being represented. This is the first time that Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama have been represented with entries. Last years Oscars received 76 submissions, with the 2012 Oscars receiving 71. 


The Academy committee members will now begin the screening process to select the official Oscar Nominees for the 87th Academy Awards. 

The following is the list of the countries represented with submissions for consideration and the films the submitted:

Afghanistan, "A Few Cubic Meters of Love," Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
Argentina, "Wild Tales," Damián Szifrón, director;
Australia, "Charlie's Country," Rolf de Heer, director;
Austria, "The Dark Valley," Andreas Prochaska, director;
Azerbaijan, "Nabat," Elchin Musaoglu, director;
Bangladesh, "Glow of the Firefly," Khalid Mahmood Mithu, director;
Belgium, "Two Days, One Night," Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, directors;
Bolivia, "Forgotten," Carlos Bolado, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, "With Mom," Faruk Lončarevič, director; 
Brazil, "The Way He Looks," Daniel Ribeiro, director;
Bulgaria, "Bulgarian Rhapsody," Ivan Nitchev, director;
Canada, "Mommy," Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, "To Kill a Man," Alejandro Fernández Almendras, director;
China, "The Nightingale," Philippe Muyl, director;
Colombia, "Mateo," María Gamboa, director;
Costa Rica, "Red Princesses," Laura Astorga Carrera, director;
Croatia, "Cowboys," Tomislav Mršić, director;
Cuba, "Conducta," Ernesto Daranas Serrano, director;
Czech Republic, "Fair Play," Andrea Sedláčková, director;
Denmark, "Sorrow and Joy," Nils Malmros, director;
Dominican Republic, "Cristo Rey," Leticia Tonos, director;
Ecuador, "Silence in Dreamland," Tito Molina, director;
Egypt, "Factory Girl," Mohamed Khan, director;
Estonia, "Tangerines," Zaza Urushadze, director;
Ethiopia, "Difret," Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, director;
Finland, "Concrete Night," Pirjo Honkasalo, director;
France, "Saint Laurent," Bertrand Bonello, director;
Georgia, "Corn Island," George Ovashvili, director;
Germany, "Beloved Sisters," Dominik Graf, director;
Greece, "Little England," Pantelis Voulgaris, director;
Hong Kong, "The Golden Era," Ann Hui, director;
Hungary, "White God," Kornél Mundruczó, director;
Iceland, "Life in a Fishbowl," Baldvin Zophoníasson, director;
India, "Liar's Dice," Geetu Mohandas, director;
Indonesia, "Soekarno," Hanung Bramantyo, director;
Iran, "Today," Reza Mirkarimi, director;
Iraq, "Mardan," Batin Ghobadi, director;
Ireland, "The Gift," Tom Collins, director;
Israel, "Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem," Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz, directors;
Italy, "Human Capital," Paolo Virzì, director;
Japan, "The Light Shines Only There," Mipo O, director;
Kosovo, "Three Windows and a Hanging," Isa Qosja, director;
Kyrgyzstan, "Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains," Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, director;
Latvia, "Rocks in My Pockets," Signe Baumane, director;
Lebanon, "Ghadi," Amin Dora, director;
Lithuania, "The Gambler," Ignas Jonynas, director;
Luxembourg, "Never Die Young," Pol Cruchten, director;
Macedonia, "To the Hilt," Stole Popov, director;
Malta, "Simshar," Rebecca Cremona, director;
Mauritania, "Timbuktu," Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
Mexico, "Cantinflas," Sebastián del Amo, director;
Moldova, "The Unsaved," Igor Cobileanski, director;
Montenegro, "The Kids from the Marx and Engels Street," Nikola Vukčević, director;
Morocco, "The Red Moon," Hassan Benjelloun, director;
Nepal, "Jhola," Yadav Kumar Bhattarai, director;
Netherlands, "Accused," Paula van der Oest, director;
New Zealand, "The Dead Lands," Toa Fraser, director;
Norway, "1001 Grams," Bent Hamer, director;
Pakistan, "Dukhtar," Afia Nathaniel, director;
Palestine, "Eyes of a Thief," Najwa Najjar, director;
Panama, "Invasion," Abner Benaim, director;
Peru, "The Gospel of the Flesh," Eduardo Mendoza, director;
Philippines, "Norte, the End of History," Lav Diaz, director;
Poland, "Ida," Paweł Pawlikowski, director;
Portugal, "What Now? Remind Me," Joaquim Pinto, director;
Romania, "The Japanese Dog," Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, director;
Russia, "Leviathan," Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Serbia, "See You in Montevideo," Dragan Bjelogrlić, director;
Singapore, "Sayang Disayang," Sanif Olek, director;
Slovakia, "A Step into the Dark," Miloslav Luther, director;
Slovenia, "Seduce Me," Marko Šantić, director;
South Africa, "Elelwani," Ntshavheni Wa Luruli, director;
South Korea, "Haemoo," Shim Sung-bo, director;
Spain, "Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed," David Trueba, director;
Sweden, "Force Majeure," Ruben Östlund, director;
Switzerland, "The Circle," Stefan Haupt, director;
Taiwan, "Ice Poison," Midi Z, director;
Thailand, "The Teacher’s Diary," Nithiwat Tharathorn, director;
Turkey, "Winter Sleep," Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
Ukraine, "The Guide," Oles Sanin, director;
United Kingdom, "Little Happiness," Nihat Seven, director;
Uruguay, "Mr. Kaplan," Álvaro Brechner, director;
Venezuela, "The Liberator," Alberto Arvelo, director.

The nominations for the 87th Academy Awards will be announced LIVE on January 15, 2015, at 5:30AM PT at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre.

The Academy Award will be on Sunday, March 22, 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and will be televised LIVE to more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Marvel releases test footage of "Guardians of the Galaxy" Animated Series at New York Comic Con

Fresh off of the success of Marvel's summer smash hit, "Guardians of the Galaxy", Marvel announced they would be making an animated series of the hit comic. This announcement came as part of this weekends New York Comic Con taking place at the Jarvis Center.


Marvel released this test footage featuring Rocket Raccoon. Check out the test footage below!


Watch for the series premier of "Guardians of the Galaxy" Animated Series in 2015 on Disney XD

For more information on New York Comic Con, visit their official website HERE



Thursday, October 9, 2014

Press Release: The Academy Unveils The New Oscars.org and YOUR chance to win a seat on the Oscar Red Carpet

Have you ever dreamed of being on the Oscar Red Carpet? The Academy wants to give you that chance! To celebrate the launch of the new Oscars.org website, The Academy is giving you a chance to win tickets to The Oscar Fan Experience hosted by PEOPLE.

Here is today's press release and more information on the new Oscars.org and how to enter for your chance to be on the Oscar Red Carpet!


Article courtesy of Oscars Press

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy today introduced the newly redesigned Oscars.org, featuring unprecedented access to its members, collections and exclusive content, including the definitive Oscars® timeline.

"This site is an extension of our ongoing efforts to inspire, educate and entertain fans worldwide," said Chief Marketing Officer Christina Kounelias.  "Built on decades of history, expertise and passion for film, it’s a site that only the Academy could create."

The site features a sleek, mobile-friendly design with social media integrated prominently throughout, encouraging fans to be a part of the conversation, share their passion and connect with other movie fans around the world. Other features include a dynamic visual showcase of the Academy’s vast collections from its library and archive, 50,000 photos and videos including 86 years of Oscars highlights, and a vibrant events section that allows fans the chance to experience Academy events and programming first-hand.  The previous site was built in 2008.

"Our new website expands on the relationship we've developed with millions of fans on our social channels over the past few years," said Josh Spector, Managing Director of Digital Media and Marketing.  "It's a platform that allows fans to access more of what they love most about the Academy – our amazing collection assets, the expertise of our members, and the original content we create."

Highlights include:
  • Collection Highlights:  With the help of some remarkable items from our Academy Collection, fans can take an in-depth look at some of the most legendary filmmakers and movies of all time.  11 collections are now available to view and new ones will be released in the coming weeks.  Visitors are also able to suggest other items from around the web they think are worthy of being included in these one-of-a-kind pages.
  • Oscars CeremoniesThe definitive Oscars timeline. Users can explore 86 years of photos and videos and share favorite moments in Oscar history.
  • EventsFeatures upcoming Academy events and programs, and allows fans to go back through Academy history and relive past events.
  • NewsGet the latest news about the Academy and the Oscars, and hear Academy members in their own words.
  • Social Drawer: This feature connects website visitors to the Academy’s social media content in real time, creating a unique way for fans to join the conversation.
  • Mobile Friendly Design: The site has been custom-designed for an optimal user experience on all devices.
To celebrate the launch of the new Oscars.org, the Academy is offering fans the first chance to win tickets to the Oscar Fan Experience, in partnership with PEOPLE, by entering online for a random drawing for bleacher seats along the 87th Oscars red carpet.  Those selected will watch and cheer on Oscar nominees, presenters and other guests as they arrive on OscarSunday, February 22, 2015.  For more details on how to enter, click here.

Oscars.org was designed and built in collaboration with entertainment marketing agency Trailer Park.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Ew! - Jimmy Fallon feat. will.i.am

Our love for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is not a secret to anybody. Jimmy has been teasing tonights episode for the last week for this special song featuring will.i.am. It is everything we could have hoped for! Here is his new song "Ew!" featuring will.i.am, and of course step-dad Gary. Enjoy!





Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Filming starts on "Beyond the Shadows"

I am thrilled to announce that we started filming on our new short film, "Beyond the Shadows" today!

Here is a sneak peek behind the scenes of the first day of filming.

Tim Drake, Walter Mecham, and Austin Grant