Oscar buzz and speculation gave way to reality in the early morning hours (5:38 AM, to be precise) today as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis and past nominee Salma Hayek announced the nominees for the 79th annual Academy Awards. More than 400 international media professionals descended on the academy headquarters’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater to hear the pair announce nominees in 10 of 24 categories. (Additional nominees were posted on the academy’s Web site.)This year’s telecast art director, Robert Rang, bypassed the flash that distinguished, say, the fringe and sequins of the nominated costumes in Best Picture shutout Dreamgirls. Instead Rang took the nominations’ set design in an understated direction, using leafy green plants to create a gardenlike feel onstage. He also scrapped the more traditional flower arrangements of years past in favor of subtle inclusions of white and chartreuse roses. Of course, the man of the hour—Oscar himself—dominated the stage in the form of two eight-foot-tall statuettes that flanked the podium. The academy provided a breakfast station including bagels, eggs, bacon, and ham for members of the press.
—Rosalba Curiel
Posted 01.23.07
Photos: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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—Rosalba Curiel
Posted 01.23.07
Photos: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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