Despite solid ratings for Sunday's 85th annual Academy Awards, host Seth MacFarlane is catching a lot of flak for his crude jokes about women, Jews, Abraham Lincoln and most notably, actresses' boobs.

In a musical number titled "We Saw Your Boobs," MacFarlane pointed out actresses who have bared all on-screen — often during emotionally-charged or rape scenes.

Women both in the audience and watching at home were offended by the song, calling it crass and inappropriate.

We spoke with Elizabeth Cantillon, film producer and executive vice president of production at Sony who was in the audience at the Dolby Theater Sunday night, who tells us she and her colleagues were outraged:

I was with a number of women in the movie business who were shocked that that's what the Academy Awards chose to emphasize when really what we should be doing is promoting growth to our business and what's great about our business.

You're talking about the great American actresses, you're talking about Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep. People who have had long and successful careers, have won awards, and objectifying them and it's not right — even if you're trying to be humorous it's identifying a select group and picking on them for ridicule. Which I would think, with the history of the Academy and people who are contributors in Hollywood, that wouldn't be okay.

Even if it had been hilariously funny, I don't know that that should be the source of comedy on a show that is meant to promote our business around the world. These women are international stars, that's their business, they're important businesswomen as well as artists and that's key to success in our business and appreciating them.

Tabloids can do what they do, that's the cross of the business, but not the Oscars. I would be surprised if there was any woman in the movie business who was at the Oscars or watched the Oscars who wasn't offended by that.

As for whether or not any of Cantillon's colleagues have spoken to the Academy about the offensive song and dance number, she says she's not sure, "but the head of the Academy is a woman, so that was also surprising."

Meanwhile, the Academy is defending MacFarlane.

“If the Oscars are about anything, they’re about creative freedom," an Academy spokeswoman said in a statement to TheWrap. "We think the show's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and host Seth MacFarlane did a great job and we hope our worldwide audience found the show entertaining.” 

 Here are some other reactions to the song:

• “Among the women I’ve talked to today I would say I haven’t heard from any who thought it was in good taste,” Cathy Schulman, a producer who won a best picture Oscar in the past for “Crash” and is currently the president of the industry group Women in Film, tells The NY Times.
• "MacFarlane's opening musical number, "We Saw Your Boobs," might as well have been a siren blaring, "This isn't for you" ... Actual gender equality is a ways away, but I'd settle for one four-hour ceremony where women aren't being actively degraded."— Vulture's Margaret Lyons in "Why Seth MacFarlane’s Misogyny Matters."
• “It’s one thing to be topless and to have that in the context of the film, for a purpose in a particular scene for a particular reason. It’s another to take it out of context and just focus on women’s breasts.” — Feminist lawyer Gloria Allred told The Daily Beast.
• “I loved the boob song, I thought [Seth MacFarlane] was great!” — Best Actress winner Jennifer Lawrence.

And at least two other actresses weren't offended by the song, either.

"Three of the actresses he sang about were evidently in cahoots with MacFarlane at some level, as they agreed to pre-record footage of their "reactions" to their shout-outs, which was then spliced in during the show, according to The Cut's Charlotte Cowles.

Watch the pre-recorded reactions of the actresses "in cahoots" with MacFarlane below:

"Meryl Streep we saw your boobs in 'Silkwood,' Naomi Watts we saw in 'Mulholland Drive.'"

"Kristen Stewart we saw your boobs in 'On The Road,' and in 'Monster' we saw Charlize Theron's."

"Halle Berry we saw them in 'Monster's Ball,' Nicole Kidman in 'Eyes Wide Shut,' Marisa Tomei in 'The Wrestler' but we haven't seen Jennifer Lawrence's boobs at all."

Now watch the musical number in its entirety and judge for yourself:

If you were offended by MacFarlane, New York software developer Kevin Gisi came up with the song "We Saw Your Junk" in response:

Now Watch: Sheryl Sandberg, One Of The Most Powerful Women In The World, Reveals Staggering Stats About Women

SEE ALSO: 15 photos that defined Oscar night >

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is sticking up for Seth MacFarlane and citing artistic freedom against charges that the comedians stint as Oscar host was sexist.

In the wake of the awards telecast many commentators, such asVulture's Margaret Lyons and Slate's Dana Stevens, branded MacFarlane's opening song "We Saw Your Boobs" and his quips about Chris Brown's abusive relationship with Rihanna, as misogynist. On Tuesday, those charges intensified after two California legislators, Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal and Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, sent a letter to Academy President Hawk Koch condemning the host's performance and asking the group to be more careful in the future. 

Also read: Seth MacFarlane's Oscars Had a Deaf Ear and a Blind Eye to Women

"From topical jabs about domestic violence to singing about 'boobs' during a film's rape scene, Seth MacFarlane crossed the line from humor to misogyny," the legislators wrote.

"In a world where women have historically faced challenges and obstacles when it comes to their portrayal in popular culture, Sunday evening was a setback for women fighting hard to gain appropriate respect as contributors in this industry and society and general," they added.

But the Academy did not agree with their assessment.

“If the Oscars are about anything, they’re about creative freedom," an Academy spokeswoman said in a statement to TheWrap. "We think the show's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and host Seth MacFarlane did a great job and we hope our worldwide audience found the show entertaining.”

MacFarlane, who is the creator of "Ted" and "Family Guy," is known for pushing the envelope when it comes to jokes about race and sexism in his shows and movies. He was brought in by the Academy in an effort to broaden the show's appeal to younger viewers.

Lowenthal and Jackson are both Democrats and co-chair the California State Legislative Women’s Caucus. Their offices did not immediately respond to request for comment about the Academy's response.

As for MacFarlane, don't look for him to return as Oscar emcee again.

On Twitter, the host responded to questions about whether he would host for a second time by writing, "No way. Lotta fun to have done it, though."

SEE ALSO: Seth MacFarlane's Boobs Song Angered Hollywood Women >

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CollegeHumor has created six-second Vine videos to replicate all nine of this year's Oscar Best Picture nominees.

Don't have time to sit through all two-and-a-half hours of "Lincoln" or haven't had a chance to catch "Beasts of the Southern Wild" yet?

Take a look at CollegeHumor's re-creations below.

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Argo"

"Lincoln"

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

To watch the rest of the Vine videos of nominated films, check them out on CollegHumor here >

SEE ALSO: Five-year-olds act out the Oscar Best Picture nominees >

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First Lady Michelle Obama surprised viewers of Sunday's Academy Awards when she was beamed in via video from the White House to present "Argo" with the Best Picture award alongside Jack Nicholson.

But not everyone was happy to see the FLOTUS.

Conservative media pundits argued the awards show should have been "an Obama-free zone" and Twitter users created the hashtag #NextMichelleObamaAppearance, humorously suggesting the first lady will next be seen “Announcing the next pope” and “Driving the pace car at Indy 500."

But the First Lady appeared on the "Today Show" Friday morning and defended her Oscar's appearance.

"That's just the nature of life," Obama told "Today" contributor Kelly Wallace in Springfield, Mo., while promoting her Let's Move campaign. "I mean, we live in a time when there are bloggers and tweeters and 24-hour news and everyone has a voice in this town square and it's a big one."

"Overall, it's good," Mrs. Obama continued. "But that means that at any point and given time, somebody's not gonna like what you do. That's just the nature of things."

But perhaps Harvey Weinstein should be taking some of the flak too, as it's the movie mogul who arranged for the appearance from the White House after his daughter suggested the idea.

As for how the cameo was kept a secret, show producer Craig Zadan told The Hollywood Reporter, "The planning [of a trip to D.C. for an initial meeting] of it was like 'Argo' -- it was a CIA mission, it was so complicated. We didn't even want anyone to know where we were going."

On show day, Michelle's appearance was intentionally kept off the show's run sheets so it wouldn't leak.

After Sunday's Oscar telecast, Zadan revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that when the idea was initially pitched to the first lady, her response was: "Yes, I think it's a great idea. We watch movies all the time at the White House. Let's do it."

Relive Michelle Obama's Oscar moment below:

SEE ALSO: Iranian news agency photoshops sleeves on Michelle Obama's Oscar gown

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While Seth MacFarlane's Oscars hosting gig offended many, the "Family Guy" creator still managed to garner a whopping 40.3 million viewers during Sunday night's telecast — up 20 percent over last year in the all-important 18-49 rating, while gaining 3 percent in overall viewers.

While MacFarlane has since been touted "Oscars Ratings Gold," he says he will not resume the hosting role next year.

MacFarlane took to Twitter to announce his decision:

MacFarlane didn't elaborate, but he has been getting a lot of flak in the press after insulting everyone from Abraham Lincoln lovers to the female gender.

"Part of the interest in MacFarlane's presence was that it was so novel; an unguarded insult craftsman tasked with guiding his industry's most important and Respect-heavy evening,"writes The Atlantic Wire's Richard Lawson. "The trick probably wouldn't have the same punch the second time around."

"But yes, with a ratings upgrade like this one, especially among advertisers' favorite people, we shouldn't expect to see Whoopi Goldberg or Steve Martin back on stage any time soon," Lawson elaborates.

Instead of older, safer hosting choices, names currently being tossed around to host the 2014 broadcast are this year's successful Golden Globes hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and late night talk show hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

Tina Fey told the Huffington Post there's "no way" she would host next year's 86th annual Academy Awards, adding "I just feel like that gig is so hard. Especially for, like, a woman — the amount of months that would be spent trying on dresses alone."

Pressed as to whether there's "at least a one in a million chance," Fey assured there's not. "I wish I could tell you there was."

But the New York Post published a report on Friday saying their sources already know the frontrunner: "Jimmy Kimmel is already being lined up to host next year’s Oscars."

Kimmel's rep didn't respond to our email for comment, but according to the Post's sources, "Jimmy is favored to host the Oscars next year; ABC has been pushing him for the role."

The notion isn't a crazy one, as Kimmel, who hosted the Emmy Awards in 2012, received his best post-awards show ratings ever on Sunday night and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" airs on ABC — the network set to be home to the Oscars until 2020.

Jimmy Fallon, on the other hand, could be seen as a point of contention as his show, "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," airs on NBC and is now in a competing time slot against Kimmel on ABC.

Meanwhile, an ABC spokesperson said, "This is a decision for the Academy. No conversations have even started on that yet, and won't for some time."

But a source close to the situation tells Business Insider the Kimmel reports are "100 percent not true" and "a complete fabrication."

What people don't realize is that before any talks of who the next host will be can even commence, there's a list of things that need to first happen:

• First, the Academy elects a new president in the summer, most likely in July or August.
• Then, the new president hires the producers of the broadcast.
• The producers then go out and hire the host of the broadcast.

Last year, the Academy didn't even announce the host until October for February's show, so any reports of next year's host — less than a week after 2013's broadcast — are extremely premature.

And we're a ways away from 2014's 86th annual Academy Awards, as Vanity Fair points out, "with the Winter Olympics taking place from February 7 to February 23, the show will likely be postponed until March."

SEE ALSO: If 91 percent of jobs in Hollywood go to men, what is the future of women in film? >

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It's 358 days until the 2014 Academy Awards.

Actors have not performed and movies have not been seen.

Obviously it's too early to get a read on what films will be nominated in 2014, but with George Clooney, Cormac McCarthy, the Coen brothers, and Cate Blanchett in the mix, we can make some educated guesses.

Check out the predictions >

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Best Picture Prediction: 'The Monuments Men'

Predicted nominees:

August: Osage County
The Butler
Captain Phillips
The Counselor
Fruitvale
The Monuments Men
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
Twelve Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall St

As easy as it is to imagine August: Osage County winning Best Picture thanks to its huge cast (Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts), and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning source material, we're leaning toward George Clooney's The Monuments Men and Tom Hanks' Captain Phillips as Oscar front-runners next year.

Monuments Men, like A:OC, has a star-filled cast (Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Daniel Craig), is a true story set during WWII, and, most importantly, tells an important, political story that's as relevant to foreign audiences as it is to those in the U.S. Captain Phillips, also a true story with an international setting, has Tom Hanks and when Hanks is on, the Academy comes calling.

Also for your consideration:

Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Rush, Inside Llewyn Davis, Her, The Place Beyond the Pines, Labor Day, Out of the Furnace, Untitled Terrence Malick Project, The Fifth Estate, Foxcatcher, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Best Actor Prediction: Tom Hanks, 'Captain Phillips'

Predicted nominees:

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall St.
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Fifth Estate
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Brad Pitt - The Counselor

Lots of talent here, obviously. Hanks, DiCaprio, and Pitt stand out as three of the biggest stars in the world. Cumberbatch is in for a breakout year with five movies (including Star Trek Into Darkness), and his role as Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate may be the icing on the cake.

McConaughey's DBC role has drawn attention for the actor's weightloss, but at this point, we've got Hanks in the lead. His title role in Captain Phillips is just too perfect for the Academy. Directed by Paul Greengrass (United 93), the film tells the real-life story of Captain Richard Phillips, who kept the crew of the Maersk Alabama alive long enough for SEAL Team Six to rescue them from a group of armed Somali pirates in 2009.

Can't you just see Hanks' furrowed brow and worried eyes capturing Academy voters hearts and minds? Us too.

Also for your consideration:

Daniel Bruhl - Rush, Chiwetel Ejiofor - Twelve Years a Slave, Steve Carell - Foxcatcher, Ryan Gosling - The Place Beyond the Pines, Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis, George Clooney - The Monuments Men, Christian Bale - Out of the Furnace, Bruce Dern - Nebraska, Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale, Forest Whitaker - The Butler

Best Actress Prediction: Kate Winslet, 'Labor Day'

Predicted nominees:

Cate Blanchett - Carol
Kate Winslet - Labor Day
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Shailene Woodley - The Spectacular Now

Streep and Roberts lead the talented cast of August: Osage County, and either could easily claim an Oscar nod. In Gravity, Bullock tackles sci-fi as an astronaut stranded in space, and Woodley has already wowed Sundance audiences as a high schooler who falls in love with a hard-drinking classmate in The Spectacular Now.

Our pick, though, is Kate Winslet who stars in Jason Reitman's adaptation of Joyce Maynard's 2009 novel about a single mom who gives an escaped convict a ride against her better judgment. Academy voters always love Winslet and Labor Day seems like just the kind of perilous journey to elicit Oscar-worthy huzzahs.

Also for your consideration:

Julia Roberts - August: Osage County, Jennifer Lawrence - Serena, Marion Cotillard - Lowlife, Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks, Jessica Chastain - The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers, Greta Gerwig - Frances Ha, Naomi Watts - Diana, Emma Watson - The Bling Ring, Rooney Mara - Side Effects

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A lot of people, women in Hollywood in particular, were not laughing at Oscar host Seth MacFarlane's song about actress' nude scenes titled "We Saw Your Boobs."

Jamie Lee Curtis wrote a whole blog post about how offended she was by musical number during the Oscar show, a female EVP at Sony told Business Insider she was "shocked that that's what the Academy Awards chose to emphasize."

But three weeks after the 85th annual Academy Awards telecast, show producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan are finally speaking out in defense of Seth MacFarlane and specifically his much-talked about "Boobs" song.

"Everyone who complained missed the joke, it was satire," Meron told The Hollywood Reporter at the GLAAD awards in Manhattan on Saturday.

Zadan added, "It was not about the women that were mentioned, the song was about him being a bad host and him being a juvenile, which was why he was a bad host."

But Zadan and Meron thought MacFarlane was a terrific show host, if not a misunderstood one.

"We were really really proud of Seth MacFarlane, he did an amazing job," Meron told THR. "He did the job that we wanted him to do. Seth is irreverent, he comments on things that happen in our culture, and that's what he did and we thought he did an extraordinary job."

"I spoke to somebody yesterday and they were disappointed that he didn't go further," Zadan added. "So you can't really gauge; somebody thinks it's too much, some people think its just enough... he brought in the youngest demos that the Oscars have ever had."

Meron seconded that point.

"People have complained for years and years that the Oscars were becoming irrelevant. And I think what we did this year is to really make them part of the cultural conversation, and I think that's the important part that people will take away."

Considering this year's Oscar ratings were up 19 percent over last year and watched by 40.3 million people, looks like MacFarlane did something right -- even if it did outraged an entire gender in Hollywood.

SEE ALSO: Jamie Lee Curtis blasts Seth MacFarlane's 'Boobs' song in new blog post >

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The Oscars are getting out of the way of next year’s Winter Olympics and moving into March, 2014, but the show then plans to return to late February for the 2015 awards.

The move to March allows the Academy to slightly adjust the timetable that forced voters to cast their nominating ballots earlier than ever this year, although it still requires ballots to be returned in early January.

The dates for the 86th and 87th Oscars were announced on Monday morning by the Academy, which said that next year's Academy Awards will take place on March 2 and 2015's awards will happen on Feb. 22. 

Although the organization has been under pressure to consider a move to early February or even late January, the newly announced dates -- and the unusual step of revealing two years of dates instead of just one -- reinforced that the AMPAS Board of Governors and ABC are comfortable with a late February date except when it conflicts with the Olympics.

The Oscars have taken place on the last Sunday in February every year since 2003, with the exception of 2006 and 2010. Both of those years, the usual February date for the Oscars would have put the show on the air opposite the Winter Olympics' closing ceremony. The same conflict would take place in 2014, with the games scheduled to end on Sunday, Feb. 23.

Next year's timetable calls for nominations voting to open on Dec. 27, 2013 and close on Jan. 8, 2014, three days later than it closed this year. Nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 16, a week later than this year's announcement.

While this year's Oscar nominations were originally scheduled to take place two days after the Golden Globes, the Board of Governors moved it to three days before the Globes. But the Jan. 16 announcement will probably put next year's nominations after the Globes, which will likely take place on Jan. 12.

The AMPAS press release:

BEVERLY HILLS, CA– The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network today announced the dates for the 86th and 87th Oscar® presentations. The 86th and 87th Academy Awards® will air live on ABC on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, and February 22, 2015, respectively.

Key dates for the Awards season are:

Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013: The Governors Awards
Monday, Dec. 2: Official Screen Credits Due
Friday, Dec. 27: Nominations voting begins
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014: Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Thursday, Jan. 16: Oscar nominations announced
Monday, Feb. 10: Nominees Luncheon
Friday, Feb. 14: Final voting begins
Saturday, Feb. 15: Scientific and Technical Awards
Tuesday, Feb. 25: Final voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Sunday, March 2: 86th Academy Awards

Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015: 87th Academy Awards

The 86th and 87th Academy Awards ceremonies will be held at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.

SEE ALSO: How Comcast's $4.4B Investment In The Olympics Will Pay Off Big-Time

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We finally get to see the Valentino gown Anne Hathaway snubbed last minute at the Oscars earlier this year. 

Hathaway ditched the dress after hearing her "Les Mis" co-star Amanda Seyfried was wearing something similar to the awards show.

But Nicole Kidman benefited from Hathaway's dress diss, and just wore it at the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of "Nebraska." 

First, here's the pale pink Prada dress Hathaway wore to the Oscars:

A lot of people said it looked like an apron because of the tie in the back:

And here's the one she turned down, worn by Kidman:

Here it is from the back:

SEE ALSO: A deleted scene from "Star Trek Into Darkness">

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Cheryl Boone Isaacs knows that she will be judged in the long run more on the work she does than the barriers she's broken.

But at the same time, she told TheWrap on Wednesday, she recognizes that her election – which made her the first African-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and only the third woman – was a significant moment for the Academy.

“It’s major,” she said. “I know that, and you know that. To be given this trust is quite a big deal. It’s an honor, it's a privilege, and I hope it’s inspirational for people the way others have been an inspiration for me.”

Isaacs is assuming the presidency at a time when the Academy is in a growing mode: Over the last year, the governors have taken the limits off the number of new members AMPAS admits every year, inviting nearly 300 people to join the organization that typically invites fewer than 200.

They have opened up voting in every category to all members, eliminating documentary and foreign-language rules that restricted eligibility. They have added a Casting Directors Branch after years of pressure. And they have expanded the board itself from 43 members to 48, and will now add three more in the fall when the new branch holds a special election.

But while Isaacs says she embraces the new, super-sized Academy, she doesn’t see any significant changes coming in the Oscars themselves – for instance, the creation of a casting award.

“I absolutely support [the new, larger Academy],” she said. “It’s much more inclusive. It’s wonderful. But I don’t see a new category happening.

“What I see is that we have added a new branch, and we’re really excited about that because of the importance of the casting directors to the making of motion pictures.”

Isaacs follows a single-term president, Hawk Koch, who pushed for a number of changes and made the post his full-time job. Asked if she’d follow suit, she was noncommittal.

“I’m going to be here quite a bit,” said Isaacs, who has previously served as AMPAS' first vice president, secretary and treasurer. “I’ll probably be here every day, as I dive into all the different aspects. It’s going to take whatever time it takes, and I’m here for it.”

(As for her outside marketing work at CBI Enterprises, she admits that she definitely can’t do any public relations work on behalf of Oscar contenders, which she has done in the past. “No no no,” she said quickly.

Isaacs said her priorities are the next Oscar show (she supports the rehiring of producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, and hopes to meet with them on her first day in office), membership engagement and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which she said is still on track for an opening in 2017.

And she declines to compare her level of activity to her predecessors – or even to characterize Koch as an especially active president.

“I would say that every president has been active, throughout the history of the organization,” she said. “But the world today is different, and the Academy, like every other organization in our industry, has evolved and gotten broader. There’s a lot of really good work ahead of us.”

She started immediately, she added, returning to the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters the morning after she’d been there to see the governors elect her president.

“I didn't get a lot of sleep,” she said, laughing. “The adrenaline was flowing, and that’s always hard to come down from that to fall asleep. But I had about four or five hours.

“I slept well, but when I woke up the the adrenaline was definitely still there. So I couldn’t wait to get back in and start conversations with people.“

SEE ALSO: The Best & Worst Dressed From The Academy Awards

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After hosting the Oscars in 2007, daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres will be back for a second round of duty in 2014, the Academy confirmed Friday.

DeGeneres also took to Twitter to announce the news to her over 21 million followers:

It's official: I'm hosting the #Oscars! I'd like to thank @TheAcademy, my wife Portia and, oh dear, there goes the orchestra.

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) August 2, 2013

"We are thrilled to have Ellen DeGeneres host the Oscars," said telecast producers Zadan and Meron in a statement. "As a longtime friend, we had always hoped to find a project for us to do together and nothing could be more exciting than teaming up to do the Oscars. There are few stars today who have Ellen's gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity. She is beloved everywhere and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theatre, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are."

New Academy president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, echoed their sentiments: "I agreed with Craig and Neil immediately that Ellen is the ideal host for this year's show. We're looking forward to an entertaining, engaging and fun show."

"I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time. You know what they say - the third time's the charm," joked DeGeneres.

DeGeneres hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program."

SEE ALSO: HOUSE OF THE DAY: Ellen DeGeneres And Portia De Rossi Are Selling Their Santa Monica Ranch For $11 Million

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Dawn Hudson was named CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2011 thanks to her love of film and past job as as executive director of Film Independent, a non-profit devoted to fostering independent filmmaking.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is, of course, the group responsible for choosing Oscar winners.

So what does it pay to have that much power in Hollywood?

Hudson, the top executive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, made $522,183 in base salary in 2011, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

According to the nonprofit Oscars organization's annual form 990 tax filing made public on Monday, Hudson earned $304,607 for the last seven months of 2011, so THR figures, "Based on that figure, her salary for the other five months would be $217,576, which provides the total figure."

It's a hefty annual salary, but not quite as much as her predecessor.

In 2011, the salary of Ric Robertson, who resigned in September as the Academy's COO, was $422,572, according to the filing as reported by THR. 

Hudson's salary in 2012 was not revealed and the Academy declined to comment.

SEE ALSO: Read The Memo Just Sent To 110 Employees Fired At Paramount

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Remember the scene in "Gravity" when Sandra Bullock is locked inside the Russian space capsule about to give up all hope but finally finds faith when reaching someone on the radio — only to find there is a severe language barrier?

Well, "Gravity" co-writer Jonas Cuaron, the son of director Alfonso Cuaron, made a short film telling the other side of the story on that phone call in the pivotal scene.

Titled "Aningaaq," the seven-minute companion piece was initially envisioned as an extra feature for "Gravity's" Blu-ray edition, but after much fanfare at film festivals, Warner Bros. has submitted it for Oscar consideration in the live-action short category, explains The Hollywood Reporter.

"Should it snag a nomination alongside its sure-bet blockbuster companion, they are poised to make Academy Awards history as the first feature and spinoff short drawn from the same material to be nominated together in the same year," notes THR.

Featuring Sandra Bullock's voice, the short film follows an Inuit fisherman stationed in a remote area of Greenland.

The piece was filmed guerrilla style on location with a budget of about $100,000 after Cuaron was inspired by a drunken native het met who would become the basis for the title character, played by Greenland's own Orto Ignatiussen.

A small sum considering "Gravity" has grossed over $527 million worldwide.

Bullock has called the "Gravity"-related short an "absolutely beautiful piece of loneliness … I get goose bumps thinking about it."

Watch the entire 7-minute video below:

SEE ALSO: The Alternate Ending To 'Breaking Bad' Is A Genius Tie-In To 'Malcolm In The Middle'

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It's here — the first promo video for the 86th annual Academy Awards.

Host Ellen DeGeneres leads a dance group through the streets as they all dance and lip dub along with "The Walker" by Fitz and the Tantrums.

The March 2 ceremony will mark Ellen's second time hosting, and since the comedian kicks off every episode of her NBC talk show with a dance through the aisles, it's only appropriate she cuts a rug in the Oscar promo.

In addition, the official Oscar site released a pretty cool behind-the-scenes video from the shoot, and an interview with director Paul Feig.

Take a look at all the videos below:

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The 86th annual Academy Award nominations will be announced this morning at 8:30 a.m. ET by Chris Hemsworth and Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

Don't have a TV to watch? We have you covered.

The Oscars are livestreaming the nominations on YouTube. You can watch the feed below: 

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Happy Oscar nomination Thursday!

The 86th annual Academy Award noms were just announced by actor Chris Hemsworth and Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President of the Academy.

“12 Years a Slave,” “American Hustle,” and “Gravity” were the big winners of the day, but tune in to the Oscar telecast Sunday, March 2nd to see who ends up taking home the statue.

Here's the complete list of nominees.

Best Performance By Supporting Male Actor:

Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave”
Jonah Hill in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins in “Blue Jasmine”
Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle”
Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”
Julia Roberts in “August: Osage County”
June Squibb in “Nebraska”

Best Actress

Amy Adams in “American Hustle”
Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”
Sandra Bullock in “Gravity”
Judi Dench in “Philomena”
Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County”

Best Actor:

Christian Bale in “American Hustle”
Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Film: 

“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
“Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers
“Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers
“Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers
“Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers
“Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers
“12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determined

Best Director: 

“American Hustle” David O. Russell
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón
“Nebraska” Alexander Payne
“12 Years a Slave” Steve McQueen
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese

Best animated feature film of the year:

“The Croods” Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson
“Despicable Me 2” Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri
“Ernest & Celestine” Benjamin Renner and Didier Brunner
“Frozen” Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
“The Wind Rises” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki

Achievement in cinematography:

“The Grandmaster” Philippe Le Sourd
“Gravity” Emmanuel Lubezki
“Inside Llewyn Davis” Bruno Delbonnel
“Nebraska” Phedon Papamichael
“Prisoners” Roger A. Deakins

Achievement in costume design:

“American Hustle” Michael Wilkinson
“The Grandmaster” William Chang Suk Ping
“The Great Gatsby” Catherine Martin
“The Invisible Woman” Michael O’Connor
“12 Years a Slave” Patricia Norris

Achievement in directing:

“American Hustle” David O. Russell
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón
“Nebraska” Alexander Payne
“12 Years a Slave” Steve McQueen
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese

Best documentary feature:

“The Act of Killing” Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“Cutie and the Boxer” Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
“Dirty Wars” Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
“The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
“20 Feet from Stardom” Nominees to be determined

Best documentary short subject:

“CaveDigger” Jeffrey Karoff
“Facing Fear” Jason Cohen
“Karama Has No Walls” Sara Ishaq
“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” Edgar Barens

Achievement in film editing:

“American Hustle” Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
“Captain Phillips” Christopher Rouse
“Dallas Buyers Club” John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
“12 Years a Slave” Joe Walker

Best foreign language film of the year:

“The Broken Circle Breakdown” Belgium
“The Great Beauty” Italy
“The Hunt” Denmark
“The Missing Picture” Cambodia
“Omar” Palestine

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling:

“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty
“The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score):

“The Book Thief” John Williams
“Gravity” Steven Price
“Her” William Butler and Owen Pallett
“Philomena” Alexandre Desplat
“Saving Mr. Banks” Thomas Newman

 Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song):

“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone” Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel
“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2” Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams
“Let It Go” from “Frozen” Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“The Moon Song” from “Her” Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyric by Paul Hewson

Achievement in production design:

“American Hustle” Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler
“Gravity” Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
“The Great Gatsby” Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn
“Her” Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
“12 Years a Slave” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker

Best animated short film:

“Feral” Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
“Get a Horse!” Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
“Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
“Possessions” Shuhei Morita
“Room on the Broom” Max Lang and Jan Lachauer

Best live action short film:

“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” Esteban Crespo
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras “Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari “The Voorman Problem” Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

Achievement in sound editing:

“All Is Lost” Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
“Captain Phillips” Oliver Tarney
“Gravity” Glenn Freemantle
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Brent Burge
“Lone Survivor” Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing:

“Captain Phillips” Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro
“Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson
“Inside Llewyn Davis” Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
“Lone Survivor” Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow

Achievement in visual effects:

“Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
“Iron Man 3” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
“The Lone Ranger” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
“Star Trek Into Darkness” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay:

“Before Midnight” Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
“Captain Phillips” Screenplay by Billy Ray
“Philomena” Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
“12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Screenplay by Terence Winter

Original screenplay:

“American Hustle” Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
“Blue Jasmine” Written by Woody Allen
“Dallas Buyers Club” Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack
“Her” Written by Spike Jonze
“Nebraska” Written by Bob Nelson

SEE ALSO: Watch The Oscar Nominations Live Here

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The 86th annual Oscar nominations were announced early Thursday morning.

"American Hustle" and "Gravity" both came out on top, with each film receiving 10 nominations. 

While we're pretty satisfied with this year's list of nods, there were a few big surprises and snubs.

If you missed the announcement, you can check out all the noms here.

SURPRISE/SNUB: Emma Thompson didn't get a Best Actress nod for "Saving Mr. Banks," but her BFF Meryl Streep scored a nod for "August: Osage County."

SURPRISE: Jonah Hill got his second Best Supporting Actor nomination for "The Wolf of Wall Street."

SNUB: No love for Lee Daniels' "The Butler"— not even Oprah! It was the talk show queen's first film role in 15 years, and the critics praised her performance.

Barkhad Abdi, 28, was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category this morning for his role as a Somali pirate in "Captain Phillips."

The role was Abdi's first acting gig — ever.

Abdi was previously a cab and limousine driver in Minneapolis, Minn., when one open casting call in 2011 changed his life.

"I answered a casting call that was on a local TV channel. So I go there to give it a shot, there were a lot of people there the first time," Abdi told the "Today Show" of the "Captain Phillips" audition process. "They asked me simple questions like 'what's your name?' and 'where were you born?'"

A few more rounds of auditions later and the Somali-born Abdi landed the role of "Muse," the pirate ringleader in the Tom Hanks-starring film that hit theaters in October.

Hanks, however, was not nominated for a Best Actor award during Thursday's big Oscars announcement.

The Paul Greengrass-directed movie is the true story of Somali pirates who hijacked the U.S. cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, and held its captain hostage in 2009.

"I became the character. I tried to be that guy in that moment," Abdi told Matt Lauer about his first-time acting gig. "I had to come out with all I got. I used a lot of imagination. I talked to a lot of people who came back from Somalia and I read a lot of pirate stories."

Abdi, who moved to the U.S. from Somalia when he was 14, says he didn't meet his co-star Tom Hanks until the cameras rolled during their first scene together.

Eventually, "Tom helped me a lot to get the part out and would motivate me in a lot of ways."

Abdi got so into his character he started ad-libbing, coming up with the much-hyped line: "I'm the captain now."

While Abdi is now back in Minnesota helping run his brother's store, he does say "I want to continue to act."

In the meantime, he's had plenty of time to hobnob with celebrities during the current awards season, as he's documented on his Instagram account (via HuffPo):

"At the end of it, I'm a Somali person," says Abdi. "But I love acting and I just wanted to show what I could do."

Appearing on the "Today" show Thursday, Abdi said he was so excited about the imminent Oscar nominations that he couldn’t sleep Wednesday night.

Abdi's Best Supporting Actor competition now includes Bradley Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Jonah Hill, and Jared Leto.

But it looks like this is just the beginning for the novice actor who just scored himself the industry's highest acclaim.

Watch Abdi tell his unique story on the "Today Show":

Now watch Abdi in the trailer for "Captain Phillips":

SEE ALSO: The 9 Biggest Snubs And Surprises From The Oscar Nominations

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Cue the countdown to the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2.

The nominations arrived this morning, with "American Hustle" and "Gravity" leading the bunch with 10 nods a piece. 

Since the telecast, nominees have been speaking out about the exciting news.

Read the nominees' statements below (via The Hollywood Reporter):

Steve McQueen, best director nominee for "12 Years a Slave":

"I'm extraordinarily happy for all the cast and crew of our 12 Years a Slave family. This has been an amazing ride, and to receive nine nominations from the Academy is testament to all of the hard work. And for that I am truly grateful."

David O. Russell, best director nominee for "American Hustle": 

"I’m fighting a little cold here but this will certainly go a long way to boost my immune system," he said. "To have these actors really put their hearts in it all together, to have them each get a nod is a big deal for us because we created a family together." 

Leonardo DiCaprio, best actor nominee for "The Wolf of Wall Street": 

"I am deeply humbled by this honor and even happier to share today with Marty, Jonah, Terry as well as this entire cast and crew. The Wolf of Wall Street has been a passion project of mine, and I found the role to be one of the most challenging and rewarding of my career. Congratulations to all of my fellow nominees and thank you to the Academy for this extraordinary recognition."

Amy Adams, best actress nominee for "American Hustle": 

"It’s a very good thing to wake up to; we were all asleep! Am I still recovering from last weekend? Not really. I’m never really out late anymore at this stage in my life. Making Hustle was very challenging, so it’s really nice that people not only recognized the film but all the actors as well. And I’m so proud to have been in Her too, which has been recognized with a best picture nomination. As for celebrating today, maybe we should go out for a family hike? Then again, everyone looks pretty tired around here right now!"

Jonah Hill, best supporting actor nominee for "The Wolf of Wall Street": 

"I am in complete and total shock. I honestly was not expecting this, on a level you can’t even imagine. Again, I’m clearly in shock. I didn’t have a plan for celebrating today because I truly did not expect any of this! But I am going to  the Critics’ Choice Awards and will be great to see everyone from the film there tonight. Truly, this is shocking."

Judi Dench, best actress nominee for "Philomena": 

"This is just the loveliest news. I'm so happy for everybody involved, and so proud to have been part of the wonderful experience that Philomena has been."

Bob Nelson, best originally screenplay nominee for "Nebraska": 

"My wife was going to wake me up, but my manager beat her by about five seconds," Nelson said. "With so many original screenplays this year, I'm really lucky to get in, and I owe a lot to everyone who worked on the film. Alexander Payne took it to another level from the film we thought we would make ten years ago."

Alfonso Cuaron, best director nominee for "Gravity":

"Thank you Academy for this incredible recognition. These nominations are not just about single achievements, but rather the collective effort of hundreds of dedicated artists who made this dream a reality. On behalf of everyone involved with Gravity I want to express our deepest gratitude to the industry, the exhibitors and the public for embracing this film so passionately..."

Morgan Neville, director of best documentary feature nominee "20 Feet From Stardom":

"This makes me want to sing out loud! I’m beyond humbled by this honor. All of the praying our ladies have done for the film’s success has clearly paid off! After 20 years in this business, to have our movie and these extraordinary women recognized by such an esteemed group, means more to me than I can ever say. My only regret is that our producer, the late Gil Friesen, isn’t here to be a part of it - I know he’s smiling down on us and would have been over the moon with the news."

Check out the full list of nominee reactions here >

And here's what they're saying in the Twittersphere:

Jeremy Scahill's "Dirty Wars" was nominated for best documentary. He exclaimed, "HOLY S---!!!!!"in a tweet this morning.

Congrats to my fellow nominees, @JonahHill, Marty, Terry Winter and #WolfofWallStreet family for the #Oscar noms.

— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) January 16, 2014

I'm serious. If there wasn't a live-action bias, @idinamenzel and @joshgad would have been nominated today, and you know it.

— Bruce Wright (@heybrucewright) January 16, 2014

Sad for our buddies at Pixar who made a terrific (in both senses of the word) film. It is beloved.

— Bruce Wright (@heybrucewright) January 16, 2014

😳🙏"@TheAcademy: Song: Alone Yet Not Alone, Happy, Let It Go, Moon Song, Ordinary Love #OscarNoms”

— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) January 16, 2014

SEE ALSO: Oscar Nominations Revealed: Here's The Full List

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After this morning's Oscar nominations, the Academy released a bunch of "fun facts" about this year's nominees.

We've put picked out 10 of the most interesting factoids about the actors and directors up for awards this March.

You can read the entire list here.

1. There are eight first-time nominees: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew McConaughey, Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Jared Leto, Sally Hawkins, Lupita Nyong'o, June Squibb.

2. Meryl Streep's Best Actress nod for "August: Osage County" is the actress' 18th (!) nomination. (She previously won three Oscars for "The Iron Lady" (2012), "Sophie's Choice" (1983), and "Kramer vs. Kramer" (1980).)

3. At 23, Jennifer Lawrence is the youngest actress with three Oscar nominations.

4. This is the second time a Pixar film ("Monsters University") has not been nominated for Best Animated Feature and has been shut out at the Oscars."Cars 2" received the same fate in 2011.

5. Megan Ellison is the first woman to get two Best Picture nods in the same year (for "Her" and "American Hustle"). She's the fourth person to have that honor joining Francis Ford Coppola and Fred Roos ("The Godfather Part II" and "The Conversation"), and Scott Rudin ("The Social Network" and "True Grit").

6. "American Hustle" received nominations in all four acting categories AND for Best Picture, Directing, and writing. That's been done twice before — by "Reds" in 1981 and "Silver Linings Playbook," another David O. Russell film, last year.

7. Martin Scorsese received his eighth nomination for Best Director with "The Wolf of Wall Street." He has previously won for "The Departed" in 2007.
8. Composer John Wiliams ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakaban") is the most-nominated living person with 49 noms. (Overall, Walt Disney holds that record with 59 nominations.)9. This is Leonardo DiCaprio's third nomination for Best Actor and fourth Oscar nod overall. If he wins, it will be his first Academy Award.

10. Disney's "The Wind Rises" is Hayao Miyazaki's third nomination for Best Animated Picture.

SEE ALSO: All of this year's nominees

AND: The biggest Oscar snubs and surprises

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