79th Academy Awards

79th Academy Awards
Name	79th Academy Awards
Date	February 25, 2007
Site	Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles
Host	Ellen DeGeneres
Producer	Laura Ziskin
Director	Louis J. Horvitz
Network	ABC
Most nominations	Dreamgirls (8)
Most awards	The Departed (4)
Previous	78th
Next	80th

79th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2006 and were held on February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The ceremony was hosted for the first time by comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, with Laura Ziskin serving as producer. Major winners included Martin Scorsese's crime epic The Departed, which won four awards including Best Picture, and Helen Mirren who won Best Actress for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in The Queen. The event was broadcast in the United States by ABC.

Ceremony

The ceremony was produced by Laura Ziskin and directed by Louis J. Horvitz, marking Ziskin's second time producing the Academy Awards. Host Ellen DeGeneres brought a relaxed, conversational style to the proceedings, engaging with nominees in the audience such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. The show opened with a filmed segment featuring DeGeneres in a spoof of the musical Dreamgirls and included her famously taking a photo with Clint Eastwood using a digital camera. The Kodak Theatre was adorned with a set design inspired by the iconic Hollywood Bowl, featuring sweeping curves and a color palette of silver and blue.

Winners and nominees

The nominees were announced on January 23, 2007, by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis and actress Salma Hayek. The musical Dreamgirls led with eight nominations but controversially missed a Best Picture nod, ultimately winning only two awards for Sound Mixing and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Hudson. The Departed won Best Picture, Best Director for Martin Scorsese, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay for William Monahan. Other major winners included Forest Whitaker as Best Actor for The Last King of Scotland, and Alan Arkin as Best Supporting Actor for Little Miss Sunshine.

Presenters and performers

A wide array of stars presented awards, including previous winners like Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Tom Hanks. The performance of the five Best Original Song nominees featured Melissa Etheridge singing "I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth and Randy Newman performing "Our Town" from Cars. Beyoncé performed a medley from Dreamgirls alongside Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose. Composer Ennio Morricone received an Academy Honorary Award presented by Clint Eastwood, followed by a performance of his music by Celine Dion.

In Memoriam

The annual In Memoriam tribute, accompanied by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by William Ross, honored figures from the film industry who died in the preceding year. Those memorialized included director Robert Altman, actress June Allyson, and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall. The segment also paid tribute to iconic actor Jack Palance, comedian Don Knotts, and singer Maureen Stapleton. The presentation was notably introduced by actor Jack Nicholson.

Broadcast and ratings

The ABC telecast, which began at 5:00 p.m. PST, drew an average of 40.2 million viewers in the United States according to Nielsen ratings. This represented a significant increase from the previous year's ceremony, making it the most-watched Academy Awards broadcast since the 76th Academy Awards in 2004. The broadcast faced competition from other networks but benefited from the popularity of nominated films like The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine. Internationally, the ceremony was syndicated to over 200 countries.

Critical response

Critical reception to the ceremony was generally positive, with praise directed at host Ellen DeGeneres for her accessible and warm humor. Reviewers from The New York Times and Variety noted the efficient pacing and the emotional resonance of wins for Martin Scorsese and Jennifer Hudson. Some criticism was aimed at the length of the show and certain production choices. The awards themselves were seen as rewarding mainstream, popular cinema, with The Departed's victory interpreted as a long-overdue recognition for director Martin Scorsese by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Category:Academy Awards ceremonies Category:2007 film awards Category:2007 in American cinema