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Gil Cates |
77th Academy Awards Producer
Gilbert Cates has his 12th assignment as producer
of the annual Academy Awards® telecast, Academy President
Frank Pierson announced. Cates will helm the 77th Awards
scheduled for Sunday, February 27, 2005,
on the ABC Television Network.
Cates, who has eleven telecasts to his credit since 1990, has
produced more Oscar shows than any other producer.
"With eleven shows under his belt, no other producer, living
or dead, even comes close to the depth of Gil's experience," Pierson
said. "We're lucky to have him back!"
Cates' previous outings as producer have garnered 85 Emmy nominations
and 21 Emmy Awards. Cates won the Emmy himself in 1991 for producing
the 63rd Annual Academy Awards telecast.
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Chris Rock |
77th Academy Awards Host
Chris Rock will host the 77th Academy Awards telecast, producer Gil Cates announced. This will be Rock's first stint as Oscar host.
"I am a huge fan of Chris Rock," said Cates. "He always makes me laugh and he always has something interesting to say. Chris represents the best of the new generation of comics. Having him host the Oscars is terrific. I can't wait."
Rock made his screen debut in "Beverly Hills Cop II" and became a comic to watch when he spent three years on the cast of "Saturday Night Live." His transformation into a comic cultural force, though, came with a series of HBO specials, including 1996's "Bring the Pain," which won him ecstatic reviews nationwide as well as Emmys for writing and outstanding special.
Academy Awards Telecast Director
Director Louis J. Horvitz will call the shots once more at the 77th Annual Academy Awards telecast.
Fresh off receiving his fourth Emmy Award, three of which have come for his Oscar telecast work, this will be Horvitz's ninth time overall directing the Academy Awards show.
Horvitz this year directed "The Kennedy Center Honors" for the 13th time and in September directed his 11th Primetime Emmy Awards. He recently also served his 13th stint as co-producer/director of "The People's Choice Awards," his 9th year as executive producer-director of "An Evening of Stars" and his 11th year as director of "The American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award."
In a career that has spanned three decades, Horvitz has helmed numerous other high-profile programs including the Daytime Emmy Awards, "The Kids Choice Awards," "CBS at 75," "Lifetime's Achievement Awards: Women Changing the World," VH-1's "DIVAS," "Macy's July 4th Spectacular," "The 2004 MTV-Movie Awards," "The Bad Boys of Comedy," "The VH-1 Concert for New York City" benefiting survivors of 9/11 and the "U2 Half Time at the Superbowl."
Academy Awards Telecast Production Designer
Roy Christopher will return for his 16th assignment as production designer of an Academy Awards Presentation.
Christopher has received a total of 35 Emmy nominations. Fifteen of those nominations were for his work on an Oscar telecast. He has won a total of eight Emmys, six for his work on Oscar sets.
Christopher's projects include the recent long-running comedy hits "Frasier" and "Becker," as well as other notable series including "Murphy Brown." He has also designed TV specials for such legendary stars as Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett and Baryshnikov. In February 2004, Christopher was honored by his peers for the excellence of his body of work with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild.
Academy Awards Telecast Music Director
Oscar-winning composer Bill Conti will return to the Oscar podium as musical director. This will be the 17th time that Conti has conducted the Academy Awards Orchestra.
Conti received his Oscar in 1983 for the Original Score of "The Right Stuff." He also received two nominations in the Original Song category in 1976 for "Gonna Fly Now" from "Rocky" and in 1981 for the title song from "For Your Eyes Only." In addition, Conti received 11 Emmy nominations and has won five Emmy Awards - three of them for his work on Academy Awards telecasts.
His other film credits include "The Thomas Crowne Affair," "Karate Kid," "Broadcast News," "Private Benjamin," "Rocky II," "Rocky III" and "Rocky V."
Academy Awards Telecast Executive in Charge of Talent
Danette Herman is back as executive in charge of talent for the Academy Awards Presentation. This will be the 31st year Herman has been associated with the annual show.
A specialist in live television, galas and special events, Herman currently is serving as coordinating producer for the "Kennedy Center Honors," completing her 27th association with that show. She also recently served as coordinating producer for the "56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards" and as executive in charge of talent for the "Tony Awards."
Other credits include "CBS at 75," the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the CBS Network, four presidential inaugural galas, "An American Celebration at Ford's Theatre" and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Herman has worked on over 200 television events.
Governors Ball Co-Chairs
Academy governor and first vice president Sid Ganis and governor Cheryl Boone Isaacs, both of whom represent the public relations branch on the Academy Board of Governors, are co-chairs of the Governors Ball for the 77th Academy Awards.
The two will oversee planning for the post-Oscar ceremony dinner held for winners, nominees, presenters and telecast participants.
For Ganis, this marks the eighth time as chair of the Ball; it's the second for Boone Isaacs. Ganis previously served as chair from 1996 through 2001, and vice chair in 2002 and 2003, while Boone Isaacs was vice chair of the Ball for the first time in 2003. The pair served as co-chairs in 2004.
Ganis has produced numerous films, including "Mr. Deeds," "Big Daddy" and "Deuce Bigalow," for his company Out of the Blue. Entertainment. Prior to establishing Out of the Blue.Entertainment, which is housed on the Sony lot, Ganis served in various capacities at Sony, concluding as president of worldwide marketing for the Columbia/Tri-Star Motion Picture Companies.
Boone Isaacs currently works as a motion picture marketing consultant. Previously she was the president of theatrical marketing at New Line Cinema. Prior to that she was at Paramount Pictures for 12 years and ended her stint there as executive vice president of worldwide publicity.
Governors Ball Executive Chef
Master chef Wolfgang Puck has been selected, for the eleventh consecutive year, to create the cuisine for the Academy's post-Oscar-show Governors Ball, the official party for the 77th Academy Awards.
Puck's company, Wolfgang Puck Catering, will prepare and serve his culinary creations at the Ball, where Oscar nominees, winners, presenters and performers celebrate after the Oscar telecast.
Puck and his team of talented chefs will develop the multi-course, sit-down meal for the Academy's 1,600 guests.
In addition to Puck's personal involvement, culinary artists from Wolfgang Puck Catering will be responsible for the cooking, presentation and service of the food. Puck's Oscar Night team will include top chefs from many of his restaurants, who will work in the state-of-the-art kitchen in the Governors Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland complex.
Governors Ball Producer
Special events producer Cheryl Cecchetto has been chosen to produce the Academy's Governors Ball for the 16th consecutive year. The gala event for Oscar winners and nominees will immediately follow the 77th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 27, 2005.
Cecchetto and her team are responsible to Governors Ball Co-Chairs Sid Ganis and Cheryl Boone Isaacs for every detail pertaining to the event, including décor, lighting, sound, rentals, entertainment, food and personnel.
Sequoia Productions, Cecchetto's company, recently produced the wrap party for the television show "Friends," a surprise birthday bash for celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, the 56th Annual Emmy Award Governors Ball and Entertainment Weekly's 2nd Annual Emmy Celebration. Sequoia's list of upcoming events includes Australia Week 2005 for the Australian Consul General and the Tournament of Roses BCS National Championship Gala.
Academy Awards Commemorative Poster Designer
A design by an unknown newcomer has been selected by the Academy for the 77th Academy Awards commemorative poster.
Brett Davidson, who has been on staff at the Academy for 10 years and currently serves as the organization's information systems support specialist, was competing against dozens of established artists who submitted designs for the 77th Oscar poster.
Davidson's design was chosen through a blind selection process by Academy executives and members of its Board of Governors.
A striking image, Davidson's design incorporates brilliant squares of pink, orange, green and blue as a colorful backdrop for the Oscar statuette.
Davidson studied both film and graphic design at the University of Miami in Florida. After moving to Los Angeles in 1994, he continued his design studies at the University of Southern California while taking a job at the Academy.
His work at the organization, though, has been in the Information Technology department, making sure that the computers that serve the Academy's thousands of databases are up-to-date and functioning smoothly.
Elements of Davidson's poster design is being utilized in motion graphics, press kits and numerous other promotional materials as part of the Academy's marketing campaign for the 77th Academy Awards.
In addition, 50,000 Oscar posters will be distributed nationwide. The commemorative poster will be available for purchase until March 14 on the Academy's website www.oscars.org/publications, or via phone at 1-800-554-1814. It is the sixth consecutive year the poster will be offered for purchase to the public.
