But this year, Hollywood wants to help educate you on the Short Film Oscar nominees by bringing the contestants to more than 200 theaters across the U.S. and Canada beginning today, Feb. 10.

ShortsHD, working with Magnolia Pictures, plans to release “The Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2012,” three theatrical programs that will let audiences watch the nominated shorts in the Animation, Live Action and Documentary categories prior to the 84th Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 26. This year will mark the second theatrical outing for the nominated Documentary shorts, after an enthusiastic reception from audiences for last year’s inaugural run.

“This year’s Oscar® Nominated Short Films ride the wave of the rapidly growing popularity of short movies. Audiences are watching them and filmmakers are responding,” said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of Shorts International. “The Academy chose films that are incredible entertainment: animations that are solidly family-friendly, live action films ranging from heart-warming to out-right hilarious and short docs dealing with issues of immediate interest. Like many of the best picture nominees this year, these movies are light, fun and great entertainment.”

The Oscar® Nominated Short Films has become a key fixture of the awards season. Last year, the theatrical release broke all records, grossing over $1,350,000 nationwide and playing in significantly more theaters than in previous years.

Since the inception of the program in 2005, attendance has grown by 800%.

For more information on the nominated shorts and participating theaters, visit www.shorts.tv/theoscarshorts or find the program on Facebook (facebook.com/shortshd) and Twitter (twitter.com/shortshd).

Awards Alley brings you the best Oscar coverage. Click below to read our exclusive interviews with:
- Harvey Weinstein
- The cast of “The Artist.”
- Kenneth Branagh for “My Week With Marilyn.”
- Bennett Miller talks “Moneyball.”
- Producer Jim Burke for “The Descendants.”
- Sir Ben Kingsley and Chloe Grace Moretz for “Hugo.”
- Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
- David Fincher, Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
- Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for “The Help.”
- Tate Taylor for “The Help.”
- Woody Harrelson for “Rampart.”
- Gavin O’Connor for “Warrior.”
- Gary Oldman and Colin Firth for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”
- Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody for “Young Adult.”
- Steve McQueen for “Shame.”
- Glenn Close for “Albert Nobbs.”
- Seth Rogen and Will Reiser for “50/50.”
- Producer Grant Heslov for “The Ides of March.”

For complete Oscar and Film Festival coverage, visit our Awards Alley for the latest news items, reviews and interviews all season long.

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Previous reports made note of the film’s expansive budget, and sources close to the production tell THR that the cost and the enormity of the planned special effects were the ultimate downfall of “Lost.”

“Legendary is realizing it needs to be more fiscally prudent in the movies it greenlights,” the trade notes.

“Legendary also realized that in order to effectively bring to life Milton’s war between heaven and hell, it was going to need ‘Avatar’-like special effects. But ‘Avatar’-like effects call for an ‘Avatar’-like budget, and execs realized the technology wasn’t there to make the movie in the budget range in which they were working.”

Part of me admires the studio’s ability to bail on a project before getting in way too deep. But on the flip side, I really wanted to see Proyas bring this sprawling vision to the big screen. It’s unlikely this will ever happen, unless George Lucas or James Cameron decide they’d like to mount the project. Which is unlikely.

So for now, “Lost” is dead … and “The Hangover 3” is way more likely to happen now than ever before.

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Photo courtesy of PRPhotos.com.

HollywoodNews.com: For the second consecutive year, natural cork will be in the spotlight at the GRAMMY Awards.® Maintaining its commitment to sustainability, the 54th GRAMMY Awards will host two events featuring wines sealed exclusively with natural cork and will recycle the closures. Natural cork is biodegradable, recyclable and sustainable, and its use encourages the stewardship of cork oak forests that offset carbon pollution.

The awards show will take place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will air on CBS at 8/7 p.m. CT on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. The Recording Academy®, internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards®, continues its ongoing effort to reduce the environmental impact of its annual awards ceremony, telecast, and associated GRAMMY Week events.

Wines sealed with cork will be served at the MusiCares® Person of The Year tribute dinner and concert honoring Paul McCartney two days prior to the awards ceremony and at the official GRAMMY Celebration® following the awards show.

The events will be equipped with recycling bins provided by ReCORK, a cork recycling organization that will collect the stoppers and provide them to SOLE, a company that manufactures shoes and sandals from recycled cork.

“We are honored that The Recording Academy has made natural cork a component of its sustainability program,” said Peter Weber, executive director of the Cork Quality Council. “The Academy joins a growing list of organizations, including the Major League Baseball Association and the National Basketball Association, that has recognized the environmental benefits of natural cork.”

Natural cork is one of the world’s most sustainable products. Biodegradable and recyclable, its use provides an economic incentive to preserve vast cork oak forests in the Mediterranean Basin that trap greenhouse gases, prevent desertification and provide habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species. There is no shortage of cork, and cork oaks are not cut down to make cork. A portion of their bark is removed every nine years during a 250-year lifespan.

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HollywoodNews.com: Two-time GRAMMY® winner Kenny Loggins ; GRAMMY- nominated band OneRepublic fronted by lead singer Ryan Tedder , who is currently nominated for two GRAMMY Awards; and DJ Michelle Pesce are scheduled to perform at the 2012 GRAMMY Celebration® — The Recording Academy®’s official after-party.

Additionally, in the celebration’s MasterCard Jazz Lounge, the exclusive event will feature performances by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the GRAMMY Camp® — Jazz Session with current GRAMMY nominee Arturo O’Farrill. Inspired by Rio’s Carnival, this year’s all-star gathering will be a euphoric event where guests will dance, sing, party and continue to celebrate Music’s Biggest Night®. The night’s festivities will be catered and produced by Along Came Mary Productions. One of the year’s most anticipated events attracting GRAMMY winners, nominees and celebrities, the 2012 GRAMMY Celebration will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 12 immediately following the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

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The winners will be flown out to Los Angeles to cover Oscar Week events, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award press event, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium and the Governors Ball preview. Additionally, they will have the exclusive opportunity to work with KABC-TV’s OTRC team and report live during the “On The Red Carpet at the Oscars” pre-show (1:30–4 p.m. PT).

Teams were evaluated by KABC and the Academy based on their skills as journalists and their ability to represent OTRC at the Academy Awards®.

For the complete contest rules, go to www.redcarpetjournalist.com.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network starting at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

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By Roger Friedman

HollywoodNews.com: orget the nominees. This year, the Grammys are finally doing it right. It’s a celebration of the world of music. They’ve just announced a Beach Boys reunion with Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and Mike Love. Add to that performances from Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. That would be enough. Dayenu! But of course Adele is performing, and so are hot new groups like Foster the People, The Civil Wars, and (less newish) Maroon 5.

Chris Brown is going to be incredible — it’s time to move on from his troubled past. Diana Ross, who gets a Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday night, is a presenter. Carrie Underwood and Tony Bennett are performing together. The show sounds like it’s going to take five hours. But it will be worth it. There’s a rumor that Lady Gaga is opening the show. No word yet on Van Halen. LL Cool J is hosting. All they’re missing is Lana del Rey (just kidding!)

To read more go to www.showbiz411.com

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HollywoodNews.com: Academy Award® winner Penélope Cruz will present at the 84th Academy Awards® ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today.

Cruz won an Oscar in 2008 for her supporting role in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” She was also nominated for her lead performance in “Volver” (2006) and for her supporting role in “Nine” (2009). Her other film credits include “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Sex and the City 2,” “Sahara,” “Vanilla Sky,” “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” and “Blow.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

HollywoodNews.com: ‘Jersey Shore’ stars Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWOWW” Farley are apparently all set to go with their spin-off as they have finally found a city to film in.

The two will reportedly be filming their spin-off in Jersey City after being turned away from Hoboken, states E! News. And the girls will apparently receive a warm welcome there.

“My view is the more people that see anything about Jersey City and see what we have in Jersey, the better it is for Jersey City,” Mayor Jerramiah Healy commented about the show filming there.

Production will allegedly begin this month.

Are you going to watch the spin-off?

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HollywoodNews.com: Gisele Bundchen got a lot of criticism for blaming Tom Brady’s Patriot teammates for the Super Bowl loss, but her fellow models have her back.

Models Lindsay Ellingson and Doutzen Kroes stepped up to defend the Victoria’s Secret angel for what she said, states E! News. “I think that everybody was getting so into the game, and I think that it’s her husband and she just really cared about it,” Ellingson commented, adding that Bundchen didn’t mean anything bad by saying it.

Kroes agrees that Bundchen didn’t do anything wrong in saying what she did: “I don’t know the whole deal about it. I think you always have to stand up for your husband, you’re a team.”

Do you agree?

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HollywoodNews.com: Katy Perry is apparently not too upset about her divorce with Russell Brand as she reportedly signed the divorce documents by putting a little smiley face next to her signature.

Perry typically signs with a smiley face next to her name, so this one could have just been because of the habit, states People.

The singer and Brand finalized things just recently as they will both keep their own earnings.

Perry will also be going back to her maiden name.

What do you think about their divorce?

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