'Twilight' Wins 7 Razzie Awards Including Worst Picture

'Twilight' Wins 7 Razzie Awards Including Worst Picture

The ceremony celebrating the worst of Hollywood also gave dubious honors to Adam Sandler's "That's My Boy."

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50 Years Ago, the Academy Awards in Santa Monica

50 Years Ago, the Academy Awards in Santa Monica

Guests arrived in chauffered-limousines and beat-up taxi cabs and walked across a "brilliantly lighted plaza" as cold winds whipped across the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for the 1963 Annual Academy Awards, a glamorous fete proclaimed the best in Oscar's 35-year history.

The next day, the Santa Monica Outlook, the then-local paper of record, published in-depth and colorful coverage of the glamorous awards show with stories detailing the fashion, the police security, and the drama.

"Officials for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences proclaimed it the most glamorous and the most perfectly run of all the 35 spectaculars in academy history," the Outlook reported.

It was the third time the Oscars were presented at The Civic in Santa Monica, and would be held there for five more years before moving to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles in 1969.

Frank Sinatra made his debut as the master of ceremonies in place of Bob Hope, who had hosted five times before but who was barred because of a conflict with the toothpaste sponsor of the Oscar show. The Outlook said with Old Blue Eyes emceeing, there was "attention on winners and presenters with a gain in dignity at the expense of fun."

"Lawrence of Arabia" won best picture and 16-year-old Patty Duke was the first performer under the age of 18 to win a competitive Oscar, best supporting actress for her role in "The Miracle Worker." It was reportedly to no ones surprise that  Gregory Peck won best actor in "To Kill a Mocking Bird."

When the 2,600 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences guests arrived, the Outlook said they stepped onto a red carpet that blanketed The Civic's grassy lawn. "Enormous lights made the whole pathway brilliant as a TV camera on a special boom hovered over the arriving throng like a giant bug looking for a place to light," the newspaper reported.

The squealing spectator crowd reportedly blocked a group of black picketers along Ocean Avenue, "protesting what they charged was the industry's failure to properly present members of their race in pictures."

One of the most amusing stories in the April 9, 1963 Oscar edition of the Outlook, "Best-Dressed Missed Oscar Show," was about the woman in e...

When Box-Office Hits Get Nominated, Do Oscar Ratings Go Up?

When Box-Office Hits Get Nominated, Do Oscar Ratings Go Up?

After The Dark Knight was conspicuously absent from the Best Picture race at the 2009 Oscars, the academy decided to increase the number of possible nominees—which had been capped at five since 1945—to 10. A subsequent revision allowed for anywhere between five and 10 nominees, depending how many votes movies received. This move opened up the exclusive category to films that might not have gotten in before—including big box office hits. The theory seemed to be that if commercially and critically adored films like The Dark Knight were in the running for Best Picture, the TV rating for the ceremony would get a boost from their popularity. But does this theory actually hold up?

When Oscars' Best Director Doesn't Win Best Picture

When Oscars' Best Director Doesn't Win Best Picture

There have been 22 instances in which the film by the year's top helmer didn't take home best picture, including the three times it happened to John Ford.

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How to Sound Smart During the Oscars: A Cheat Sheet

How to Sound Smart During the Oscars: A Cheat Sheet

With the Academy Awards coming up this Sunday, here are a few talking points to help you win friends and influence people at the Oscars party of your choice.

Early Roles: Oscar Nominees Before They Were Famous

Early Roles: Oscar Nominees Before They Were Famous

Philip Seymour Hoffman and other hopefuls have come a long way from their humble beginnings.

Satellite Image Shows Tracks of Shipping Pollution

Satellite Image Shows Tracks of Shipping Pollution

When ships cross bodies of water, they leave behind visible "tracks" of pollution. NASA has been using satellite imagery to collect data on ship tracks, and the results are mildly disturbing.

Oscars Time Capsule: The Infamous 1989 Academy Awards

Some interesting little moments...


Oscars Time Capsule: The Infamous 1989 Academy Awards

In 1989, Alan Light, a tourist from Iowa, gained access to the Academy Awards thanks to a friend who worked behind the scenes. He watched the rehearsals -- including those for the disastrous opening starring Rob Lowe and Snow White (Eileen Bowman, who tells her story to THR for the first time) -- and spent the night capturing the stars with his 35mm camera.

LOL: Californians Are Pretty Happy, According to Twitter

LOL: Californians Are Pretty Happy, According to Twitter

It seems we on the left coast do fit the stereotype for generally happy people, perhaps influenced by wine consumption, at least in how we express ourselves on Twitter.

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Cuningham Group Architecture Unveils ‘Hayden Place’ in Culver City

Cuningham Group Architecture Unveils ‘Hayden Place’ in Culver City



International design firm Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. (Cuningham Group^®) has a brand new set of offices right in the heart of Culver City’s Hayden Tract commercial district.

Named Hayden Place, the building is targeted for LEED Gold certification, due it its sustainable features including repurposed shipping containers, indoor and outdoor gardens, light sensors, trickle vents and other efficient energy systems.

The 11,650 square-foot building was converted from an existing warehouse on land formerly occupied by Selznick Studios, home of Gone With the Wind's Tara plantation, as well as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Studios. Hayden Place is also situated near the Ballona Creek bike path and the La Cienega/Jefferson Culver City Expo Line light rail stops.

“Our new office is the perfect reflection of Cuningham Group’s culture,” said Principal Jonathan Watts, who designed Hayden Place. “Its open floor plan and high volume spaces are drenched with natural light. These not only foster a creative and collaborative work setting, they are essential elements of the building’s energy-efficient systems and smart use of technology.”

Some of the building’s most striking features include large glass windows and doors at the entry and rear of the building. There is also a circular interior structure that houses two conference rooms.

“Its train-like shape is a thematic nod to the new Expo Rail that runs almost parallel to Hayden Place,” said Watts in an official statement. “This is one of the many features that create such an exciting vibe allowing our entire team to thrive here.”

Other features include an indoor, native-plant garden that filters the office air. There is also a vegetable garden planned for the office’s “backyard,” which borders a residential development, and the kitchen encourages family-style mealtimes and gatherings.

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'I Was Rob Lowe's Snow White': The Untold Story of Oscar's Nightmare Opening

'I Was Rob Lowe's Snow White': The Untold Story of Oscar's Nightmare Opening

Actress Eileen Bowman breaks her silence on the surreal tale of how she became part of Oscars infamy.

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New Whale Species Unearthed in California Highway Dig

New Whale Species Unearthed in California Highway Dig

Chalk yet another fossil find up to roadcut science. Thanks to a highway-widening project in California?s Laguna Canyon, scientists have identified several new species of early toothed baleen whales.

Video: Mega-Pod Of 100K Dolphins Stuns Tourists For Miles

Video: Mega-Pod Of 100K Dolphins Stuns Tourists For Miles

A "super mega-pod" of dolphins astonished Southern Californians last week, appearing as a stampede of gray ocean mammals off the coast of San Diego.

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