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Oscar.com offers 'all access' pass to the Academy Awards, for a cost
Sure, you could just watch the Oscars for free along with a bowl of popcorn and your favorite Twitter commentary, but the folks behind the Academy Awards are hoping you'll try something even more "interactive" this time around. Those that head to Oscar.com this evening will be treated to a few different live cameras that are freely available to everyone, but to really see to everything you'll have to fork over $4.99 for the "all access" pass. That will give you access to a number of "exclusive viewing opportunities," including multiple 360 degree cams that you can control, and numerous cameras along the red carpet, backstage, and at the Governors Ball afterwards. And if that's not enough, you can also download the Oscar Backstage Pass app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch -- it'll run you an additional $0.99.
Apps for the 2011 Academy Awards
With the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences 83rd Annual Academy Awards (or as we like to call them: The Oscars) airing this Sunday on ABC, iOS-using movie fans may want to enhance their viewing experience with a few Apps for their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. So, we've put together a little list of some that might help you out, with descriptions from the App developers themselves and some context from us. First off, if you're interested in the fashion and glamour of the Oscars as well as who wins what award (and we know you are), you'll need Live from the Red Carpet. This app "...lets you experience total VIP access to Hollywood's hottest events, right at your fingertips." "You'll have instant access to hundreds of E! articles, breaking down everything from the winners and upsets to the shows' best (and worst) moments. Plus, connect with Twitter to share your VIP access with the world." This App is pretty useful, especially if you're that person who always wants to know what everyone is wearing. Also, its a great way to keep up on that all-important celeb gossip and party info so even if you can't really be there, you can at least feel like it for a bit. Next up is an App that no certified cinefile can be without: IMDB (AKA The Internet Movie Database). With this App you have instant access to the entire online database of movie knowledge. Do you want to know which movie from 2001 starred Colin Firth and Hugh Grant? It's in there. How about what movie won Best Picture in 1977? It's in there. Or, how about what was director David Fincher's first movie? In there. All the information you could ever want about every actor, actress, movie, director or writer (well, who cares about the writers really?) is in the IMDB database. It's an essential tool in any Oscar watcher's aresenal. Moving on, we've got an App from the folks bringing us the Oscar telecast, ABC Digital. This App, called Oscar Backstage Pass, gives fans "access to live streams from exclusive cameras placed throughout the Red Carpet, the Kodak Theatre and the Governors Ball so you can go beyond the tv broadcast and watch more live Oscar action as it's taking place." That sounds like fun, right? Who knows, maybe one of those cameras will catch someone doing something they shouldn't. Or better yet, a fight. Finally, you can download the "official" Oscars App which, among other things, lets you "make Oscar predictions, access complete Nominee lists, get insider information on each film, watch viewable trailers and more." You can also "compare with your group of friends and share your picks through Facebook, Twitter, text and email." We've got our predictions ready, how about you? The Oscars air on Sunday at 8E/5P on ABC.
Motorola hands out gold Xooms to Oscar hosts, nominees
Motorola may only be offering the Xoom in basic black to the general public, but it's cooked up something a little extra special for the Oscars this Sunday. It will be handing out these limited edition gold Xooms -- complete with a custom leather envelope case -- to the hosts and the nominees in the Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director categories. Guess stars aren't just like us after all.
Samsung debuts 3DTV LED LCD ads during the Oscars
The iPad wasn't the only consumer electronics device ad in heavy rotation during the Academy Awards, you could barely get through a commercial break without seeing Samsung's spot for its new 3DTVs. We figure a direct Avatar tie-in (or to any specific movie at all like Monsters vs. Aliens) might have helped awareness more than all the acronyms strung together over a flying manta ray, but this isn't SterlingCooperHD. If you somehow missed the ad (it only played about a dozen times) you can always view it embedded after the break.
WABC-7 pulled from Cablevision on the eve of the Oscars or two days before Lost
Depending on your personal calendar, the removal of WABC-7's signal from Cablevision in New York is potentially tragic for different reasons but all in all it's a very familiar scene. Fresh off its standoff with Scripps over Food Network and HGTV, Cablevision is rumbling with Disney over the same issue that nearly caused Time Warner customers to miss Fox-broadcasted bowl games around New Years Day (and yes, Senator John Kerry is involved, again) -- will the cable company pay to carry what's available free OTA? With both sides firmly dug in slinging accusations back and forth via screen crawls and press releases (propaganda from both sides embedded after the break) the most interesting wrinkle is Cablevision's suggestion that users just go online and check out primetime programming via ABC.com or Hulu (or grab an antenna for some digital TV love, whatever works.) These things can turn at a moments notice so we'll wait see if the fighting is resolved in time for an afternoon NBA Finals flashback as the Lakers take on the Magic, or for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards at 8:30 p.m. No matter what happens, if things aren't back to normal by Tuesday we'd evacuate the city, a Lostie without their fix is a dangerous thing.
Live from the Red Carpet: E! Online mobile app relaunched for Oscars
Just in time for the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7th (when you should be participating in the TUAW Talkcast...), E! Entertainment has relaunched the popular E! Online mobile app. When we say popular, we mean it -- there are apparently over 1.4 million iPhone and Android users who enjoy their celebrity and entertainment news direct from the free app. The new version of the app includes the "E! Talk Box," which gives users a chance to record their own video commentary for possible inclusion on E! and/or E! Online. While your chances of getting your video snippet on the air are probably slim, at least you can finally talk back to the TV. Part of the app update includes a new carousel navigation menu above the news section (see photo at right) that highlights coverage during the award season with special videos and a "Live from the Red Carpet" section. You no longer need to tear yourself away from your iPhone or iPod touch to watch E! shows. The app, for better or for worse, lets you watch complete episodes of such favorites as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Soup. (Update: According to E!, you can download the episodes from within the app, but you actually watch them in iTunes). If all you want is the scoop on your favorite celebs, you can also create a custom celeb list and get the news delivered directly to your iPhone or iPod touch. The free app is available in the iTunes Store now. Be sure to let TUAW know if your iPhone submission to the E! Talk Box gets on the air.
Slumdog Millionaire goes from Academy Awards stage to Blu-ray disc March 31
Fresh off an Academy Awards Best Picture win (beating out Blu-ray sales king & BD screened The Dark Knight), Fox is dropping Slumdog Millionaire into homes quickly, with a DVD / Blu-ray release planned March 31. Beyond being an incredible award-winning film, it's reportedly one of the first winners filmed mostly in digital, which should let the 1080p transfer with English or Hindi 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtracks come through exactly as the director intended. Also included are three Blu-ray disc exclusive features (From Script To Screen: Toilet Scene, Indian Short Film - Manjha, Bombay Liquid Dance Music Video) and a digital copy.[Via The HD Room]
Warner delivering Academy screeners on Blu-ray, starting with Batman
Confirming earlier indications The Dark Knight's IMAX sequences would remain largely intact -- full widescreen with the rest of the movie letterboxed --on Blu-ray, director Christopher Nolan pushed for Academy members to receive that version as a screener (why not give them a guided tour via BD-Live?), prompting Warner to mail them ahead of time offering the option of Blu-ray or DVD. The Hollywood Reporter mentions other studios are thinking about making the switch -- notably Sony regarding Will smith's upcoming Seven Pounds -- but haven't done anything yet, with concerns about cost and piracy. We wouldn't be surprised to see watermarking systems like the one Fox recently adopted come into widespread use, as much as studios want to avoid leaks they still want their productions seen in the absolute highest quality, right? Still, the first hurdle is making sure people can actually watch them, the report ends mentioning several members tossed the letter since they don't own a Blu-ray player yet.[Via MovieWeb]
Motorola's star studded partnership continues: E8s for this year's Oscars
Like last year, Moto will be working the red carpet hard later this month, slipping exclusive, electronic bundles of joy into Oscar nominees' gift bags. This time around it's the ROKR E8, a phone that isn't yet available to the public -- but what better group to hand 'em out to ahead of release than the rich and famous? Naturally, these aren't just any old E8s, either; they'll be packaged in iguana skin boxes (fake, we're happy to report) and will come bundled with Motorola's also-recently announced S9-HD Bluetooth headset. Note to stars: we don't care how boring the acceptance speeches are, don't go disrespectin' your peers by pulling out the gear and listening to Fergie before the show's over, alright?
Oscar-nominated short films in iTunes Store
There are two Oscar award categories with films that almost no one ever sees, and those are the live action and animated short films. Unfortunately, these films usually never make it past film festival circuits and don't receive wide distribution, and typically they are welcomed with a big "huh?" when they pop up during the Academy Awards ceremony. Anyway, this year's short film nominees are available for purchase in the iTunes Store, along with previous winners and nominees. Priced at $1.99 each, the videos are not much of a big investment and might be worth the price of admission, just to get a feel for what a Oscar-nominated short film looks like. The curious can scope them out here (warning: iTunes link).
HDTV Listings for February 25, 2007
What we're watching: The Oscars are tonight (and in high definition, even though ABC.com is incorrectly saying they aren't...again), and we'll take a look, despite the lack of E!'s usual red carpet broadcast on INHD this year.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
iPhone ad to appear during today's Oscars ceremony?
Macworld UK has apparently heard it through the grape vine (or apple tree?) that Apple has secured some ad time for the iPhone during tonight's 79th annual Academy Awards ceremony. The proceedings kick off at 8 pm EST on ABC, and the ad was apparently "made for the Oscars," though no more details are available just yet.I honestly wasn't planning on watching the Oscars, but now I'm hoping that Macworld hasn't gone the way of pageview-baiting because I just fired up the microwave for a jumbo popcorn session. Oh the things we do in the name of TUAW.Update: The commercial has aired, see here for the recap and here for the video.
Academy: no cameraphones at Oscars. Moto: that sucks
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- better known to most as the Oscar people -- are apparently promising to come down hard on the use of cameraphones at this year's event with a complete ban. That, in itself, is not surprising; the last thing our friends in Hollywood want is a flood of grainy, bootleg footage getting MMSed across the lands in real time. What is surprising, however, is that Motorola's been called out as a bit of a freeloader here. As you might recall, Moto had been trumpeting that some super-duper version of the MOTORIZR Z3 would be handed out to the "top 25" nominees at the event -- problem is, it turns out that the company isn't even sponsoring the show in any capacity, leaving them with zero leverage to override the Academy's ruling. We suppose they could mail out the phones before or afterwards, but how lame is that? Don't fret though, Moto, your efforts aren't for naught -- send those Z3s on over to us and we'll make sure they find loving homes.
Apple showcases 2006 Academy Award nominees
Is it awards season again? I feel like I just put my tux into storage. Ah well, someone has to be the arm candy on the red carpet and this humble blogger is up to the challenge. It looks like Apple wants in on some of the red carpet glory as well (how is that for a segue?). They have set up a special section of their website that lists all the Academy Award nominees with links to: The QuickTime trailer of the movie (in HD when available) Music from the movie that is available on the iTS Links to IMDb when neither of the above is available (most notably with the shorts) Here's your change to get acquainted with the nominated movies before the ceremony. You can also check out the nominated films from 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Academy Awards: HD or SD?
So our usual sources are indicating that the 78th Annual Academy Awards are not in HDTV, but several of you are indicating that they are. What gives? We typically check TitanTV and even double-check on the network's own website; at this point, we don't see the show in high-def, but we're hoping that they are. ABC's own program schedule (shown above) does not show the telecast in HD, but we'll double-check at 8:00 on the nose. While we're checking, would you do us a favor and do the same? Check back in here and tell us if your local provider is showing the Oscars in HD and be sure to let us know roughly where you are as well. We didn't believe that ABC would muck this up with an SD broadcast, but we can only go by what we see. Thanks to everyone who wrote in on this. If you've got time, be sure to check out the live-blog coverage over at Cinematical; they're covering the whole show regardless of the res!
2005 Oscar Quicktime trailers
If you're anything like me, you didn't get a chance to see every movie that was nominated for an Academy Award. Luckily, Apple has posted trailers for all the nominated movies (there might be one or two that is missing, but it seems darn comprehensive to me). Not only are there links to trailers (Quicktime 7 is required) but there are also links to the movies' soundtracks in the iTunes Music Store.You know what that is, dear readers? Well, we here at TUAW call that 'integrating vertical synergies,' and it makes us smile.
