MOONLIGHT WINS BIG AT OSCARS 2017…BUT ALMOST DIDN’T

On Sunday night, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, welcomed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 89###sup/sup### annual Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel. The evening’s biggest winners were song-and-dance spectacular La La Land, which won six of its record-tying 14 Oscar nominations, and coming-of-age drama Moonlight, which claimed three awards, including Best Picture—but just barely! In what may go down as Hollywood’s all-time biggest award show flub, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway incorrectly announced La La Land as the winner of the Best Picture award. Beatty and Dunaway were apparently given an incorrect envelope, one that contained a Best Actress winner’s card reading “Emma Stone and La La Land”. In the midst of the onstage confusion, La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz called Moonlight’s cast and crew to the stage and presented them the award.

Oscars 2017 Fail

#Oscars2017 #LaLaLater #MoonlightIsRight

GET OUT TOPS BOX OFFICE

Boasting $30.5 million in opening sales, Comedian Jordan Peele’s feature writing and directing debut, Get Out, stands as the undisputed box office champion of Oscar weekend. An imaginative fright flick, Get Out follows a weekend excursion during which an African American boyfriend meets his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Awkwardness ensues, and before long, actual horror begins. The movie is reported to have cost less than $5 million to make, and if it keeps pace, could pull in $100 million domestic total gross. The audience age, sex and race demographics proved to split evenly, a rarity for a non-traditional, R-rated horror movie. And in addition to scoring the biggest Oscar weekend opening in seven years, Get Out was a hit with critics as well.

Get Out Trailer

#PeeleForReal #GetOutGetsIt #OscarWeekend

BILL PAXTON DIES AT 61

In response to the surprise passing of cinema vet Bill Paxton, 61, hundreds of American storm chasers and weather watchers gathered in the Midwest this weekend to pay tribute to the late actor. With the help of weather-tracking GPS utility Spotter Network, participants lined up to form Paxton’s initials across the notorious Kansas-to-Oklahoma pass known as tornado alley. Paxton starred alongside Helen Hunt in the mid-90’s storm thriller Twister, in which he led a team of an endearing scientists on series of high-risk storm analysis missions. Paxton was a weather enthusiast in his private life as well, and led the production of Tornado Alley, an IMAX documentary on the area the tribute took place. In addition to Twister, Paxton’s career highlights include key roles in Titanic, Aliens, Apollo 13, Tombstone and Weird Science.

Tornado Alley IMAX Trailer

#RIPBill #StormChasers #TornadoAlley