| 78th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 One of the two official posters designed by Studio 318[1] | |
| Date | March 5, 2006 |
| Site | Kodak Theatre Hollywood,Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Hosted by | Jon Stewart |
| Preshow hosts | Billy Bush, Chris Connelly, Cynthia Garrett, and Vanessa Minnillo[2] |
| Produced by | Gil Cates |
| Directed by | Louis J. Horvitz |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Crash |
| Most awards | Brokeback Mountain,Crash,King Kong andMemoirs of a Geisha (3) |
| Most nominations | Brokeback Mountain (8) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 33 minutes[3] |
| Ratings | 38.94 million 23.0% (Nielsen ratings) |
The78th Academy Awards, presented by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at theKodak Theatre inHollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m.PST / 8:00 p.m.EST. The ceremony was scheduled one week later than usual to avoid a clash with the2006 Winter Olympics.[4] During the ceremony, AMPAS presentedAcademy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoringfilms released in 2005. The ceremony, televised in the United States byABC, was produced byGil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz.[5][6] ActorJon Stewart hosted the show for the first time.[7] Two weeks earlier in a ceremony atThe Beverly Hilton inBeverly Hills, California held on February 18, theAcademy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hostRachel McAdams.[8]
Crash won three awards, includingBest Picture.[9] Other winners includedBrokeback Mountain,King Kong, andMemoirs of a Geisha with three awards andCapote,The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,The Constant Gardener,Hustle & Flow,March of the Penguins,The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation,A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin,Six Shooter,Syriana,Tsotsi,Walk the Line, andWallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit with one. The telecast garnered nearly 39 million viewers in the United States.
The nominees for the 78th Academy Awards were announced on January 31, 2006, at theSamuel Goldwyn Theater in the Academy'sBeverly Hills headquarters bySid Ganis, president of the Academy, and actressMira Sorvino.[10]Brokeback Mountain earned the most nominations with eight total;Crash,Good Night, and Good Luck, andMemoirs of a Geisha tied for second with six nominations each.[11] All five Best Picture nominees received corresponding Best Director nominations (the fourth occurrence in Oscar history since the Best Picture nominees roster was limited to five films).[12]
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 5, 2006.[13]Crash was the first Best Picture winner since 1976'sRocky to win only three Oscars[14] and the first Best Picture winner since 1981'sChariots of Fire to not win Best Director or any of the acting categories. Best Director winnerAng Lee became the first non-Caucasian winner of that category.[15] For this first time since the34th ceremony in 1962, all four acting winners were first-time nominees.[16][17] At age 20,Keira Knightley was thesecond-youngest Best Actress nominee for her performance asElizabeth Bennet inPride & Prejudice. Best Supporting Actor winnerGeorge Clooney was the fifth person to receive acting, directing, and screenwriting nominations in the same year and the first person to achieve this feat for two different films.[18] By virtue of his nominations for bothMemoirs of a Geisha andMunich, composerJohn Williams earned a total of 45 nominations tying him withAlfred Newman as the second most nominated individual in Oscar history.[a][19] "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" became the second rap song to win Best Original Song and the first such song to be performed at an Oscars ceremony.[20]
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Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.[21]
| Wins | Film |
|---|---|
| 3 | Brokeback Mountain |
| Crash | |
| King Kong | |
| Memoirs of a Geisha |
The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.[23][24][25]
| Name(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Kane[26] | Announcer for the 78th annual Academy Awards |
| Nicole Kidman | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actor |
| Ben Stiller | Presenter of the award forBest Visual Effects |
| Reese Witherspoon | Presenter of the award forBest Animated Feature Film |
| Naomi Watts | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Travelin' Thru" |
| Luke Wilson Owen Wilson | Presenters of the award forBest Live Action Short Film |
| Chicken Little (Zach Braff) Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack) | Presenters of the award forBest Animated Short Film |
| Jennifer Aniston | Presenter of the award forBest Costume Design |
| Russell Crowe | Presenter of thebiographical films montage |
| Steve Carell Will Ferrell | Presenters of the award forBest Makeup |
| Rachel McAdams | Presenter of the segment of theAcademy Awards for Technical Achievement and theGordon E. Sawyer Award |
| Morgan Freeman | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actress |
| Lauren Bacall | Presenter of thefilm noir montage |
| Terrence Howard | Presenter of the award forBest Documentary Short Subject |
| Charlize Theron | Presenter of the award forBest Documentary Feature |
| Jennifer Lopez | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "In the Deep" |
| Sandra Bullock Keanu Reeves | Presenters of the award forBest Art Direction |
| Samuel L. Jackson | Presenter of the political films montage |
| Sid Ganis (AMPAS president) | Presenter of a special presentation regarding activities funded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |
| Salma Hayek | Introducer of the special instrumental solo performance to the tune ofBest Original Score nominees and presenter of the award for Best Original Score |
| Jake Gyllenhaal | Presenter of theepic films montage |
| Jessica Alba Eric Bana | Presenters of the award forBest Sound Mixing |
| Meryl Streep Lily Tomlin | Presenters of theAcademy Honorary Award toRobert Altman |
| Ludacris | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" |
| Queen Latifah | Presenter of the award forBest Original Song |
| Jennifer Garner | Presenter of the award forBest Sound Editing |
| George Clooney | Presenter of theIn Memoriam tribute |
| Will Smith | Presenter of the award forBest Foreign Language Film |
| Ziyi Zhang | Presenter of the award forBest Film Editing |
| Hilary Swank | Presenter of the award forBest Actor |
| John Travolta | Presenter of the award forBest Cinematography |
| Jamie Foxx | Presenter of the award forBest Actress |
| Dustin Hoffman | Presenter of the award forBest Adapted Screenplay |
| Uma Thurman | Presenter of the award forBest Original Screenplay |
| Tom Hanks | Presenter of the award forBest Director |
| Jack Nicholson | Presenter of the award forBest Picture |
| Name(s) | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Conti | Musical arranger and Conductor | Orchestral |
| Dolly Parton | Performer | "Travelin' Thru" fromTransamerica |
| Kathleen York | Performer | "In the Deep" fromCrash |
| Itzhak Perlman | Performer | Performed musical selections for Best Original Score nominees |
| Three 6 Mafia Taraji P. Henson | Performers | "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" fromHustle & Flow |
Despite the negative reception from thepreceding year's ceremony, the Academy rehiredGilbert Cates to oversee production of the awards gala.[5] However, in an article published inThe New York Times, it was stated that 2005 hostChris Rock would not return to host the show.[27] According to a statement released by his publicist, "He didn't want to do it in perpetuity, He'd like to do it again down the road."[27] Furthermore, many media outlets speculated that several AMPAS members felt uncomfortable with Rock's disparaging comments aboutColin Farrell,Jude Law, andTobey Maguire.[28][29] Initially, Cates sought actor and veteran Oscar hostBilly Crystal to host the ceremony again. However, Crystal declined the offer citing his commitment to his one-man comedy show700 Sundays.[30][31]
In January 2006, Cates announced that actor, comedian, and talk show hostJon Stewart, who had previously hosted two consecutiveGrammy Awards ceremonies in2001 and2002, was chosen as host of the 2006 telecast.[32] Cates explained the decision to hire him saying, "My wife and I watch him every night. Jon is the epitome of a perfect host — smart, engaging, irreverent and funny."[33] In a statement, Stewart expressed that he was honored to be selected to emcee the program, jokingly adding, "Although, as an avid watcher of the Oscars, I can't help but be a little disappointed with the choice. It appears to be another sad attempt to smoke out Billy Crystal."[34]
Several other people and companies participated in the production of the ceremony.Bill Conti served as musical supervisor for the telecast.[35] Media firmThe Ant Farm produced a thirty-second trailer promoting the broadcast featuring clips highlighting past Oscar winners to the tune of the song "Our Lives" byThe Calling.[36] Previous Oscar hosts such asWhoopi Goldberg andSteve Martin, and actorsMel Gibson,George Clooney,Halle Berry appeared in an opening comedic sketch.[37] ActorTom Hanks participated in a pre-taped comedic sketch lampooning Oscar speeches.[38]Stephen Colbert (host ofThe Colbert Report, the sister program of Stewart'sThe Daily Show) narrated two different mockattack ads lampooning both the intensecampaigning and lobbying during Oscar season put forth by film studios andpolitical advertising during elections.[39] ViolinistItzhak Perlman performed excerpts from the five nominees for Best Original Score.[40]
When the nominations were announced on January 31, the field of major nominees favored independent, low-budget films over blockbusters.[41][42] The combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees when the Oscars were announced was $186 million with an average gross of $37.3 million per film.[43]Crash was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $53.4 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed byBrokeback Mountain ($51.7 million),Munich ($40.8 million),Good Night and Good Luck ($25.2 million), and finallyCapote ($15.4 million).[43]
Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 35 nominations went to 13 films on the list. Only Walk the Line (19th),Cinderella Man (41st),Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (45th), andCrash (48th) were nominated for Best Picture, Best Animated Feature, or any of the directing, acting, or screenwriting.[44] The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations wereStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (1st),Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2nd),The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (3rd),War of the Worlds (4th),King Kong (5th),Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (7th),Batman Begins (8th),March of the Penguins, (26th), andMemoirs of a Geisha (47th).[44]
Some media outlets received the broadcast positively.St. Louis Post-Dispatch television critic Gail Pennington praised Stewart's performance as host writing that he "did the Oscars proud Sunday night, turning in a four-star hosting performance that unfortunately made the rest of the show seem sluggish by comparison."[45] Film criticRoger Ebert said that Stewart was "on target, topical and funny," and added, "He was as relaxed, amusing and at home asJohnny Carson."[46] Columnist Ray Richmond ofThe Hollywood Reporter commented, "He seemed at times nervous and self-conscious, but on the whole, Stewart delivered with just the right balance of reverence and smugness."[47]
Others media publications were more critical of the show. Television criticRob Owen of thePittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Stewart was more "amusing than funny". He added, "Many of his jokes fell flat with the stars in the Kodak Theatre, and his tendency to bow down before celebrities quickly grew tiresome."[48]Tom Shales fromThe Washington Post commented, "It's hard to believe that professional entertainers could have put together a show less entertaining than this year's Oscars, hosted with a smug humorlessness by comic Jon Stewart, a sad and pale shadow of great hosts gone by." Moreover, he derided the "piles and piles and miles and miles of clips from films present and past" writing that it "squandered the visual luster" of the ceremony.[49]Associated Press television criticFrazier Moore remarked, "Stewart, usually a very funny guy, displayed a lack of beginner's luck as first-time host...His usually impeccable blend of puckishness and self-effacement fell flat in the service of Oscar." He also criticized the decision to play music over the winner's acceptance speeches calling it "distracting and obnoxious."[50]
In retrospective commentary,Crash's win for Best Picture overBrokeback Mountain has become "one of the most notorious [decisions] in modern Academy history"[51] and a source of "earnest bafflement from critics".[52] Rankings by several publications and critics have calledCrash one of the worst or most controversial Best Picture winners.[53][54][55]
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 38.94 million people over its length, which was an 8% decrease from theprevious year's ceremony.[56] Additionally, the show earned lowerNielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 23.0% of households watching over a 35 share.[57] Furthermore, it garnered a lower 18–49 demo rating with a 13.9 rating among viewers in that demographic.[57]
In July 2006, the ceremony presentation received nine nominations at the58th Primetime Emmys.[58] The following month, the ceremony won four of those nominations forOutstanding Art Direction for a Variety, Music Program, or Special (Roy Christopher and Jeff Richman),Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program (Louis J. Horvitz),Outstanding Main Title Design (Renato Grgic, Alen Petkovic, Kristijan Petrovic, and Jon Teschner), andOutstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety, Music, or Animation Series or Special (Patrick Baltzell, Robert Douglass, Edward J. Greene, Jamie Santos, and Tom Vicari).[59]
The annual "In Memoriam": tribute was presented by actorGeorge Clooney. The montage featured an excerpt of the theme fromNow, Voyager composed byMax Steiner.[60]
