| 80th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster byDrew Struzan | |
| Date | February 24, 2008 |
| Site |
|
| Hosted by | Jon Stewart |
| Preshow hosts | |
| Produced by | Gil Cates |
| Directed by | Louis J. Horvitz |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | No Country for Old Men |
| Most awards | No Country for Old Men (4) |
| Most nominations | No Country for Old Men andThere Will Be Blood (8) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | ABC |
| Duration | 3 hours, 21 minutes[2] |
| Ratings |
|
The80th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the bestfilms of 2007. The award ceremony took place on February 24, 2008, at theKodak Theatre inHollywood,Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMPAS presentedAcademy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States byABC, and produced byGil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz.[4][5] ComedianJon Stewart hosted the show for the second time, having previously presided over the78th ceremony held in 2006.[6] On February 9, at theBeverly Wilshire Hotel inBeverly Hills, theAcademy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hostJessica Alba.[7]
No Country for Old Men won four awards, includingBest Picture.[8][9] Other winners includedThe Bourne Ultimatum with three awards,La Vie en Rose andThere Will Be Blood with two, andAtonement,The Counterfeiters,Elizabeth: The Golden Age,Freeheld,The Golden Compass,Juno,Michael Clayton,Le Mozart des Pickpockets,Once,Peter & the Wolf,Ratatouille,Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, andTaxi to the Dark Side with one. The telecast garnered 31 million viewers, making it the least watched Oscar broadcast since 1974, when Nielsen began keeping records of viewership.[10]
The nominations were announced on January 22, 2008, at theSamuel Goldwyn Theater inBeverly Hills, California bySid Ganis, president of the Academy, and actressKathy Bates.[11]No Country for Old Men andThere Will Be Blood tied for the most nominations with eight each.[12]Cate Blanchett became the eleventh performer to receivetwo acting nominations in the same year,[13] as well as being the first actress and fifth performer overall to be nominated for portraying the same character in two different films, by virtue of her nomination for her role asElizabeth I of England inElizabeth: The Golden Age (she had previously been nominated for playing Elizabeth I in 1998'sElizabeth).[14] At age 82, Best Supporting Actor nomineeHal Holbrook became the oldest male acting nominee in Oscar history at the time.[15]
Best Director winnersJoel and Ethan Coen became the second pair of directors to win the award for the same film, afterJerome Robbins andRobert Wise forWest Side Story (1961).[16] This was the second time in Oscar history that none of the four acting winners was American (the first being the37th Academy Awards).[17]Daniel Day-Lewis became the eighth person to win Best Actor twice,[18] while Best Actress winnerMarion Cotillard became the fifth person towin for a non-English language performance, the second Best Actress winner to do so afterSophia Loren (Two Women (1961)), and the first to win for a French-language performance.[19] Robert F. Boyle became the oldest recipient of the Academy Honorary award at the age of 98.[20]
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Winners are listed first, highlighted inboldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[21]
The following 21 films received multiple nominations: | The following four films received multiple awards:
|
The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.[24][25][26][27][28]
| Name(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Kane Randy Thomas[29] | Co-announcers for the 80th annual Academy Awards |
| Jennifer Garner | Presented the award forBest Costume Design |
| George Clooney | Presenter of the Academy Awards history montage |
| Steve Carell Anne Hathaway | Presenters of the award forBest Animated Feature Film |
| Katherine Heigl | Presenter of the award forBest Makeup |
| Jon Stewart | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Happy Working Song" |
| Dwayne Johnson | Presenter of the award forBest Visual Effects |
| Cate Blanchett | Presenter of the award forBest Art Direction |
| Jennifer Hudson | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actor |
| Keri Russell | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Raise It Up" |
| Owen Wilson | Presenter of the award forBest Live Action Short Film |
| Barry B. Benson | Presenter of the award forBest Animated Short Film |
| Alan Arkin | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actress |
| Jessica Alba | Presenter of the segment of theScientific and Technical Awards and theGordon E. Sawyer Award |
| Josh Brolin James McAvoy | Presenters of the award forBest Adapted Screenplay |
| Sid Ganis | Presenter of a special segment explaining theOscar selection process |
| Miley Cyrus | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "That's How You Know" |
| Jonah Hill Seth Rogen | Presenters of the awards forBest Sound Editing andBest Sound Mixing |
| Forest Whitaker | Presenter of the award forBest Actress |
| Colin Farrell | Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Falling Slowly" |
| Jack Nicholson | Presenter of theBest Picture winners montage |
| Renée Zellweger | Presenter of the award forBest Film Editing |
| Nicole Kidman | Presenter of theHonorary Academy Award toRobert F. Boyle |
| Penélope Cruz | Presenter of the award forBest Foreign Language Film |
| Patrick Dempsey | Introducer of the performance Best Original Song nominee of "So Close" |
| John Travolta | Presenter of the award forBest Original Song |
| Cameron Diaz | Presenter of the award forBest Cinematography |
| Hilary Swank | Presenter of theIn Memoriam segment |
| Amy Adams | Presenter of the award forBest Original Score |
| Tom Hanks Spc. Charles Highland Sgt. Andrea Knudsen Officer 3rd Class Joseph Smith Lt. Curtis Williamson Sgt. Kenji Thuloweit[30] | Presenter of the award forBest Documentary Short Subject |
| Tom Hanks | Presenter of the award forBest Documentary Feature |
| Harrison Ford | Presenter of the award forBest Original Screenplay |
| Helen Mirren | Presenter of the award forBest Actor |
| Martin Scorsese | Presenter of the award forBest Director |
| Denzel Washington | Presenter of the award forBest Picture |
| Name(s) | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Conti | Musical Arranger Conductor | Orchestral |
| Amy Adams | Performer | "Happy Working Song" fromEnchanted |
| Impact Repertory Theatre Jamia Simone Nash | Performers | "Raise It Up" fromAugust Rush |
| Kristin Chenoweth Marlon Saunders | Performers | "That's How You Know" fromEnchanted |
| Glen Hansard Markéta Irglová | Performers | "Falling Slowly" fromOnce |
| Jon McLaughlin | Performer | "So Close" fromEnchanted |
In September 2007, the Academy hiredGil Cates to oversee production of the telecast for a record 14th time.[31] Ganis explained his decision to hire Cates as producer stating, "He's so talented...so creative and inventive, and so enormously passionate about the Oscars. All of that will again translate into a night that people can't wait to experience."[31] Immediately, Cates selected actor, comedian, and talk-show hostJon Stewart as host of the 2008 ceremony. "Jon was a terrific host for the78th Awards," Cates said about Stewart in a press release. "He is smart, quick, funny, loves movies and is a great guy. What else could one ask for?"[32]
Furthermore, the2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike affected the telecast and its surrounding events.[33] Over a month after the labor dispute began, the strikingWriters Guild of America (WGA) denied a waiver requested by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in connection with film clips and excerpts from previous award ceremonies to be shown at the 2008 awards.[34] The material could have been used, as the denial only affected the conditions under which the clips are shown.[35] Previously, the60th ceremony held in 1988 occurred 37 days afterthat year's writers strike began. At the time, material was already completed in anticipation for the strike, and actors were in full attendance of the ceremony.[36][37]
In anticipation that the strike would continue through Oscar night, AMPAS developed a Plan B show that would not have included actors accepting their awards.[38] It would have included the musical numbers, but would have relied heavily on historic film clips, emphasizing the 80th anniversary of the awards.[39] However, both the WGA andAlliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) reached an agreement effectively ending the strike on February 12, 2008, and the ceremony proceeded under its normal format.[40]
Continuing a trend in recent years, 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 $217 million; the average gross per film was $43.3 million.[43]
None of the five Best Picture nominees was among the top ten releases in box office during the nominations. When the nominations were announced on January 22,Juno was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $87.1 million in domestic box office receipts.[13] The film was followed byNo Country for Old Men ($48.9 million),Michael Clayton ($39.4 million),Atonement ($32.7 million), and finallyThere Will Be Blood ($8.7 million).[44]
Out of the top 50 grossing movies of the year (prior to announcement), 29 nominations went to 12 films on the list. OnlyRatatouille (9th),American Gangster (18th),Juno (31st),Charlie Wilson's War (39th), andSurf's Up (41st) received nominations for Best Picture, Best Animated Feature, directing, acting, or screenwriting.[45] The other top-50 box office hits that earned nominations wereTransformers (3rd),Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (4th),The Bourne Ultimatum (7th),Enchanted (20th),Norbit (29th),The Golden Compass (37th), and3:10 to Yuma (45th).[45]
The show received a mixed reception from media publications. Some media outlets were more critical of the show.The Washington Post television criticTom Shales quipped that the ceremony was "Overstocked with clips from movies -- from this year's nominees and from Oscar winners going back to1929 -- that it was like a TV show with the hiccups."[46] ColumnistJames Poniewozik ofTime commented that Stewart was "an Oscar host–sometimes a funny one, but a pretty conventional one, whose routine was loaded up with kiss-up softballs about how hotColin Farrell is, what rangeCate Blanchett has and what a tomcatJack Nicholson is." Of the show itself, he wrote, "What we got instead was a show that half the time seemed like the show the Academy would have put on if there had been a strike, chockful of montages. The other half of the time, it was an typical-to-dull Oscars."[47] Columnist Robert Bianco ofUSA Today said, "Has it ever felt like more of a padded bore than it did Sunday night? If so, blame the writers' strike, which left the producers with only a few weeks to prepare for theABC broadcast and persuaded them to lean less on the host and more on old clips." He also observed that numerous film montages seemed to diminish Stewart's job as host.[48]
The majority of other media outlets received the broadcast more positively. Television critic Matthew Gilbert of theBoston Globe gave an average critique of the ceremony but praised Stewart writing that "It was good to see Jon Stewart being Jon Stewart. He is shaping up to be a dependable Oscar host for the post-Billy Crystal years. He's not musical, but he's versatile enough to swing smoothly between jokes about politics, Hollywood, new media, and, most importantly, hair."[49]Variety columnist Brian Lowry lauded Stewart's performance noting that he "earned his keep by maintaining a playful, irreverent tone throughout the night, whether it was jesting about Cate Blanchett's versatility or watchingLawrence of Arabia on aniPhone screen."[2]Frazier Moore from theAssociated Press commended Stewart's improvement from his first hosting stint commenting, "He proved equal to the challenge posed by Oscarcast's quick turnaround. His crash-deadline material worked. And even when it didn't, he was genial, relaxed, and seemed utterly at home." In addition, he quipped that although there was a lack of surprise amongst the winners, he marveled "The evening was plenty elegant. The stage setting was handsome. The orchestra sounded full and lush. Everyone behaved."[50]
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 32 million people over its length, which was a 21% decrease from theprevious year's ceremony.[3] An estimated 64 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards.[51] The show also earned lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 18.7% of households watching over a 29 share.[52] In addition, it garnered a lower 18–49 demo rating with a 10.7 rating over a 26 share among viewers in that demographic.[53] Many media outlets pointed out that the Writers Guild strike and the niche popularity amongst the field of major nominees contributed to the low ratings.[54][55] It earned the lowest viewership for an Academy Award telecast since figures were compiled beginning with the46th ceremony in 1974.[10]
In July 2008, the ceremony presentation received nine nominations at the60th Primetime Emmy Awards.[56] Two months later, the ceremony won two of those nominations for Outstanding Art Direction (Roy Christopher and Joe Celli) and Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program (Louis J. Horvitz).[57][58]
The annualIn Memoriam tribute, presented by actressHilary Swank, honored the following people:[59]
Paul Newman for "Fast Eddie" Felson inThe Hustler andThe Color of Money;
Al Pacino forMichael Corleone inThe Godfather andThe Godfather Part II;
Peter O'Toole for King Henry II inBecket andThe Lion in Winter;
Bing Crosby for Father O'Malley inGoing My Way andThe Bells of St. Mary's;
and later,Sylvester Stallone forRocky andCreed
