I just had to write a congrats post to Torill and all the nominees.

Even Pigeons Go To Heaven was a project that director Sam Tourneux started then abandoned. Well, I’m sure he’s glad that he picked it back up again. Here is what the filmmaker had to say about his film and the Oscar experience thus far.

ILM artist Mark Siegel talks with I Met the Walrus director Josh Raskin about John Lennon.

For half of the Oscar Showcase tour crew, Friday morning was a chance for some free time to roam around Los Angeles. For the Canadian contingent, it was a time for celebration with their fellow Canadians at the Canadian consulate. The annual event celebrates the accomplishments of Oscar nominated Canadians and Canadian productions. Madame Tutli-Putli directors Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, I Met the Walrus director Josh Raskin, producer Jerry Levitan and illustrator James Braithwaite were all treated like royalty with many Canadian media outlets clamoring to get interviews with the filmmakers. The event also gave the nominees a chance to mingle with some stars. Julie Christie, Oscar nominee for the Canadian production Away from Her, was gracious enough to pose for pictures with whoever asked. Chris introduced himself to Oscar-winning director Norman Jewison, who warmly congratulated him on his nomination. Other celebs on hand included Juno director Jason Reitman, producer Ivan Reitman and director Arthur Hiller.

The tour has begun. And what a way to begin – a screening at ILM. As Ron Diamond, host of the tour and publisher of AWN, and I pulled up to Sofitel hotel, I Met the Walrus director Josh Raskin, Walrus illustrator James Braithwaite and Madame Tutli-Putli director Maciek Szczerbowski were standing outside. Having toured with the Animation Show of Shows, all three enthusiastically greeted Ron, like a reunion of old friends. As we made our way into the hotel to check-in, we were greeted by Oscar tour veteran Marcy Page, who traveled around with us last year for the Oscar-winning film The Danish Poet. This time I was able to engage in an “old friend” reunion myself. Last year’s event was such a wonderful bonding experience that I feel so excited to share with the others about the things we have in store.

Coming Soon…

Every year the group takes a photo in front of this gigantic statue of Po from Kung Fu Panda. This year's tour group includes (from left to right) John Kahrs (Paperman), Tim Reckart (Head Over Heels), David Silverman (Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"), Minkyu Lee (Adam and Dog), Fondhla Cronin O'Reilly (Head Over Heels) and Ron Diamond.

By Kira Formina

Today, February 14th, is Valentine’s Day, and there’s plenty of love in the air aimed at the directors of the nominated animated shorts.  Two more have joined us today - Paperman director John Kahrs and Adam and Dog director Minkyu Lee.  We are all greeted by host Victor Fuste in the PDI/DreamWorks lobby. The group decides to have lunch during the screening and come up for the Q&A session afterwards.

Well, it’s that time of year again when AWN and the Animation Show of Shows hosts the Oscar Tour, where the animated short film Oscar nominees travel to the various studios in San Fran and L.A. on a whirlwind tour leading up to Oscar night. Above is my favorite picture from last year’s tour and it brings back a lot of great memories. That’s me in the upper right hand corner. Marcy Page (in the upper left hand corner) is coming back this year as the producer of Madame Tutli-Putli. We talked about returning to the tour and both agree that there will be no faking required when it comes to getting excited about the adventure.