La La Land has been phenomenal and it’s projected to make history at tonight’s 89th Academy Awards. Here’s how Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling made that happen.

Accolades and public praise already decorate La La Land and it will come into the 89th Academy Awards tonight bearing an astounding 14 nominations, a feat that only two other movies were ever able to achieve: 1950’s All About Eve and 1997’s Titanic.

La La Land has been nominated at the Academy Awards for the following: Best Picture, Best Director (for Chazelle), Best Actor (for Ryan Gosling), Best Actress (for Emma Stone), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, two nominations for Best Original Song (“City of Stars” and “Audition”), Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. But Mashablenotes that while the best it could win is only (only, yes, we used only) 13 Academy Awards, it is possible that La La Land will really only bag 11 Oscars, on par with Titanic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), and Ben-Hur (1959).

But apart from the numbers and the odds and the speculations, there is no denying that much of the success and sparkle that La La Land held is also thanks to the masterful performances and input of its stars, Emma Stone as Mia Dolan and Ryan Gosling as Sebastian Wilder.

La La Land director Damien Chazelle tells Entertainment Weekly that much of the rewriting of the scenes were based from input and experimentation of lead actors Stone and Gosling. Apparently, these two had put much insight into how their characters approached the conflict, which then made it into the rewrite of the final cut.

This exact scene was one that Chazelle shares the team has written and rewritten numerous times.

This was one of the scenes that I think I wrote and rewrote and rewrote more than any other in the script. The scene was always there structurally. In earlier drafts, I think it used to get even more explosive toward the end. Then we kind of paired it down into something simplified and made it slightly more under-the-surface in the final version.

Apparently, Emma and Ryan ultimately were the key to getting the final version of this scene pat down to a tee.

Once Ryan and Emma came on board, it went through a whole new set of rewrites because it was one of the scene that we spent the most time rehearsing. Sometimes they would just improvise whole versions of it, and I would transcribe the improvisations, then kind of curate and see what I liked from that and put those into script form. Other times, I would also have separate conversations with each of them about their particular side of the scene and where their character was coming from.

Another scene, the breakup scene where Mia and Sebastian blew the top of their heads over a special dinner prepared by Sebastian, was also topped off by Ryan Gosling himself.

The specific ending to that La La Land scene where Sebastian pulls out a burnt apple pie from the oven, Chazelle shares, was suggested by Gosling.

Another crucial part of La La Land, if not the most crucial, is the singing and dancing that went into the musical parts of it, which were made magical by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (well La La Land did score two nominations on the Academy Awards’ Best Original Song alone).

And if you wondered whether it was really Emma and Ryan doing the singing and the dancing and the playing of the piano, Pop Sugar confirms that it was them. In fact, Ryan Gosling spent three months learning and perfecting his piano solos.

Thankfully, Lions Gate, one of the producers and distributors of La La Land, pushed Chazelle to ram up his budget for La La Land to $30 million, Live Mint reports. This additional budget has made way for La La Land able to get the very expensive Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling on board the ship that’s now sailing to the Academy Awards—and it was all worth it.

How many Awards do you think will La La Land land at the Academy Awards tonight? Will the team set Academy Awards history with 13 Oscars? </s> Image copyright EPA/PA Image caption Emma Stone and Dev Patel were two of the main winners of the night

La La Land has dominated the Baftas, taking five trophies - including best film and best actress for Emma Stone.

There were also awards for Lion, including best supporting actor for Dev Patel, and Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake, which was named outstanding British film at the London ceremony.

Patel said the win was "overwhelming".

Casey Affleck was named best actor for Manchester by the Sea and Viola Davis won the best supporting actress prize for Fences.

She is also nominated for an Oscar for her role in Fences, based on the August Wilson stage play of the same name.

Manchester by the Sea also won the best original screenplay, for the text by its director Kenneth Lonergan.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Highlights from the 2017 Bafta film awards

You may well be tired of hearing about La La Land, but its winning streak shows no signs of slowing down.

The recognition by Bafta is a good sign for the musical - also starring Ryan Gosling - coming just weeks before the Oscars. It had been nominated for 11 Baftas in all and is in contention for 14 Academy Awards.

La La Land has already smashed the record for the most Golden Globes, winning seven prizes last month.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Viola Davis praised playwright August Wilson in her speech

Stone was among the winners to make an oblique reference to world affairs, although the new US President Donald Trump was not explicitly mentioned during the acceptance speeches.

After thanking La La Land's director Damien Chazelle, who took home the best director statuette, Stone told the audience: "This country - and the US, and the world - seems to be going through a bit of a time, just a bit.

"In a time that's so divisive, I think it's so special we were able to come together tonight thanks to Bafta, to celebrate the positive gift of creativity and how it can transcend borders and how it can help people to feel a little less alone."

She beat Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Natalie Portman, and is also in the running for an Academy Award.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The stars hit the red carpet at the Baftas

Affleck, who plays a grieving handyman in gritty drama Manchester by the Sea, seemed taken aback by his win, saying: "The room looks very different from here. My heart is beating."

After the awards, he said he had spoken to Meryl Streep backstage about her recent Donald Trump speech.

Affleck said: "I told her how much her speech at the Golden Globes meant to all of us and how grateful I was that she did it and kicked in the door a little bit, and said it's OK to talk about these things and said it doesn't matter if we are actors, we have been given a microphone and we can speak out.

"She said, 'I think there is hope around the corner'."

Image copyright PA Image caption Kenneth Lonergan (L), director of Manchester by the Sea, and Casey Affleck with two of the film's awards

Arrival and Nocturnal Animals were nominated for nine Baftas each, but just won one award between them.

That went to sci-fi epic Arrival, starring Amy Adams, for best sound - leaving Tom Ford's latest movie, in which the actress also makes an appearance, empty handed.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were guests of honour at the star-studded ceremony, held at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The duke was there as president of Bafta to award the fellowship to veteran actor and comedian Mel Brooks.

'Out-of-body experience'

Patel, 26, was greeted with a round of applause as he accepted the prize for best supporting actor for family drama Lion, about a man who was adopted as a child and is trying to find his family in India. He is nominated in the same category at the Oscars.

The former Skins star initially appeared speechless, saying: "Wow, that just happened", before describing the win as "so overwhelming".

He stars with Nicole Kidman in Lion, which he said is "about a love that transcends borders, race, colour, anything".

Backstage, the Briton said his family was with him for the ceremony, adding: "I used to watch this with them, in Rayners Lane on the end of the Piccadilly Line. It's an out-of-body experience."

He promised to share the award with Sunny Pawar, the young boy who plays Patel's character Saroo Brierley as a child. Lion also won the best adapted screenplay.

Image copyright EPA Image caption (L-R) I, Daniel Blake star Dave Johns with director Ken Loach, producer Rebecca O'Brien and writer Paul Laverty

Ken Loach, director of I, Daniel Blake - about the struggles of living in the UK benefits system - condemned the government as he accepted the award for outstanding British film - the first of the night to be handed out.

He apologised for making a political speech so early on, but said: "Thank you to the academy for endorsing the truths of what the film says, which hundreds and thousands of people in this country know.

"The most vulnerable and poorest are treated by the government with a callous brutality that is disgraceful, a brutality that extends to keeping out refugee children we promised to help and that's a disgrace too."

'Stories deserve to be told'

Viola Davis paid tribute to her late father, who worked as a janitor and horse groomer, in her speech.

"When he took his last breath, one of the most devastating things that went through my mind is: Did his life matter?" she said.

"August [Wilson] answers that question so brilliantly, because what he did is he said that our lives mattered as African-Americans.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Tom Holland seemed delighted with his award

"The horse groomer, the sanitation worker, the people who grew up under the heavy boot of Jim Crow, the people who did not make it into history books - but they have a story, and those stories deserve to be told, because they lived."

EE's Rising Star award - the only to be voted for by the public - was won by Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland.

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. </s> In what is likely to be the deal at our Academy Awards, “La La Land” has swept the British BAFTAs.

Damien Chazelle has won Best Director, Emma Stone has Best Actress, and the movie’s music has won as well. “La La Land” is Best Picture as well.

Best Actor went to Casey Affleck, Supporting Actress went to Viola Davis for “Fences,” and in a nice surprise, Dev Patel won Best Supporting Actor for “Lion.”

Kenneth Lonergan won Best Original Screenplay for “Manchester.” “Lion” won Best Adapted Screenplay. Ava Duvernay’s “13th” won Best Documentary. “I Daniel Blake” was Best British Film. </s> Damien Chazelle's Los Angeles musical "La La Land" sang and danced its way to a leading seven Golden Globes nominations, with Barry Jenkins' celebrated coming-of-age tale "Moonlight" close on its heels with six nods.

"La La Land" earned nominations for its lead actors, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, as well best picture, comedy or musical. The film also scored nominations for directing, screenplay, score and original song in the nominations announced Monday in Los Angeles by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assocation.

"Moonlight" led the field in the dramatic categories, including best picture. It earned nods for Jenkins' directing and script, supporting actor favorite Mahershala Ali and supporting actress Naomie Harris.

The other nominees for best picture, drama, were "Manchester by the Sea," "Lion," ''Hell or High Water" and Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge."

The Weinstein Co.'s "Lion," the story of an Indian boy separated from his family, had an especially good morning. The film also earned nods for Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman.

Kenneth Lonergan's tender portrait of grief, "Manchester by the Sea," landed five nominations, including best actor in a drama for Casey Affleck. Producer Matt Damon, in a statement, thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press "for championing a little movie like ours."

Meryl Streep landed her 30th nomination for best actress in a musical or comedy for "Florence Foster Jenkins." Streep, an eight-time winner, will also be the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement.

Going into the Golden Globe nominations, no film had more momentum than Jenkin's celebrated "Moonlight," a staple of top 10-lists and the best film choice of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

But "La La Land," the top film choice of the New York Film Critics Circle is viewed as the Oscar favorite, and, as expected, it dominated.

The nominations also verified that this year's awards season won't be nearly so white as last year's. Nominations heaped on "Moonlight," ''Fences," ''Loving" and "Hidden Figures" confirmed what has already solidified as a notably more diverse field.

The Jan. 8 Golden Globes will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon and broadcast by NBC from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. </s> The candy-coloured love letter to musicals “La La Land” has landed a record-tying 14 Academy Awards nominations, matching it with “Titanic” and “All About Eve” for most nominations ever.

 “La La Land” has earned nods for best picture, its stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, its songs and its 32-year-old writer-director, Damien Chazelle.

 The other nominees for best picture are: “Moonlight,” “Arrival,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “Hell or High Water,” “Lion,” “Fences,” “Hidden Figures” and “Hacksaw Ridge.” </s> The Academy Awards is hours away and the whole world is at the edge of their seats trying to figure out who will win, who will lose, and who will give the most memorable acceptance speech this year.

The front-runner for bagging the Best Picture Award is the hit musical film La La Land. According to ABC News, Damien Chazelle’s musical is the first film to be nominated in several categories for a long time.

So far La La Land has been nominated in 14 categories for the Academy Awards including Best Actor for Ryan Gosling, Best Actress for Emma Stone, and Best Original Score for Justin Hurwitz (who also worked with Chazelle for his other film Whiplash).

The film is also nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay with Damien Chazelle potentially bagging both trophies and if successful, La La Land might also get the Best Picture Award.

Although La La Land is the top pick in the Academy Awards with Emma Stone as the favorite for the Best Actress, award there’s a possibility that Ryan Gosling might go home without an Oscar statuette.

Some are saying that Denzel Washington might end up winning the Best Actor award for Fences or even Casey Affleck, who has already won a Golden Globe and BAFTA for Manchester by the Sea.

As for the Supporting Actor/Actress categories, ABC News said that awards experts are predicting that Mahershala Ali and Viola Davis might win those awards this year.

After a controversial awards year last time, there might be a chance that African American actors/actresses might finally get the recognition they deserve this year, at least according to Yahoo! Movies senior editor Kevin Polowy.

Polowy spoke with ABC News and he told them that this year could be different in that the Academy Awards will be more color blind.

He said, “After two years of #OscarsSoWhite, you’re going to see a much different Oscars this year,” he said. “This was a really good year for films with people of color.”

Hopefully, his predictions end up being accurate.

Another thing that viewers will get to see in this year’s Academy Awards is a new face to host the acclaimed event, and he might be the right person to help the audience and the celebrities get through an evening that is looking to be the most politically-charged awards show this year.

Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is set to host this year’s Academy Awards and a lot of people are saying that he might be the right kind of comedian to instill some comic relief at a time when everyone’s on edge due to the political turmoil brewing in the country.

The New York Times spoke with Kimmel, and they asked him what his thoughts are about the Oscars and about those who might vent their frustrations against Donald Trump or those who might encourage the audience to oppose the current administration.

Kimmel told the NY Times that seeing the situation that America is in right now, there’s the big possibility that a lot of actors and actresses will give political speeches during the Academy Awards, but he’s open to it.

The only concern Kimmel has about the atmosphere of the upcoming Academy Awards show is that hopefully most of the attendees will be in a good mood when they arrive for the prestigious event.

He said, “There definitely is a point at which that becomes too much. There’s also a point at which it becomes too little. And finding that balance is, for me, the most difficult hurdle, when it comes to this broadcast. We don’t know what our mood in this country is going to be on Sunday. We seem to be in a very temperamental period. We’re having wild mood swings as a nation right now. Hopefully, everyone will be in a good mood that night.” </s> Musical “La La Land” won big at Britain’s main film awards on Sunday as it scooped the prize for best film, while Emma Stone and Damien Chazelle picked up awards for best actress and best director respectively. Dev Patel won the best supporting actor award for Lion at British Academy Film Awards 2017.

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La La Land won five gongs in total to keep its hot streak in the movie awards season going before the Oscars later this month, as it also picked up awards for cinematography and original music. Amid the awards there were also veiled references to new US President Donald Trump, who has caused controversy with his plans to build a wall on the Mexican border and his restrictions on migration.

“In a time that’s so divisive I think it’s really special that we were able to come together… to celebrate the positive gift of creativity and how it can transcend borders and how it can help people to feel a little less alone,” Emma Stone said in her acceptance speech.

“La La Land”, a throwback musical about an aspiring actress and a jazz pianist who are trying to make their way in Hollywood, had been nominated for 11 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards. Its success follows on from the Golden Globes, where it picked up seven awards. It has a joint-record 14 nominations for the Academy Awards on February 26, Hollywood’s highlight of the awards season.

Justin Hurwitz, who won the award for the film’s music, said that he hoped the success of the film might prompt a renaissance in the genre. “I love to go the theatre and see musicals. So if this can help any more musicals get green-lit, that would be amazing,” he told Reuters ahead of the ceremony.

While Stone triumphed, co-star Ryan Gosling lost out in the best actor category to Casey Affleck, for his performance in family drama “Manchester by the Sea”. Gosling was also notable by his absence, with the film’s producers saying he had a family matter to attend to. “Manchester by the Sea” picked up two awards in total, with Kenneth Lonergan’s picking up an award for original screenplay.

A popular pick among the audience in the Royal Albert Hall, Londoner Dev Patel, 26, won best supporting actor for his performance in “Lion”, which charts the real-life story of an Indian boy adopted by an Australian couple. The film also won an award for best-adapted screenplay.

Viola Davis took home the prize for best supporting actress for her performance in “Fences”, an adaption of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the life of a black family in 1950s Pennsylvania.

She alluded to issues with race relations in the United States in her acceptance speech, and defended Meryl Streep, who was criticised by Trump after the Golden Globes. “Anyone who labels Meryl Streep ‘an overrated actress’ obviously doesn’t know anything about acting,” she told reporters. “That’s not even just directed towards Donald Trump, that’s directed towards anyone.”

Outspoken director Ken Loach turned his ire onto British politicians, lambasting the “callous brutality” of the government as he accepted the award for “I, Daniel Blake”, an unflinching depiction of a man’s struggles while on benefits.

However, some of the political interventions were more light-hearted. American director Mel Brooks, who wrote and directed “The Producers”, a 1968 comedy about the producers of a musical about Nazi Germany, also made light of the current political situation.

“I’m not afraid of Trump, not at all,” Brooks told reporters, after he won an award for contribution to film, known as the Fellowship. “I think he’s mostly an entertainer.” </s> The Academy Awards honored Emma Stone, Casey Affleck, Mahershala Ali and Viola Davis in acting awards. Barry Jenkins won the adapted screenplay award for Tarell Alvin McCraney's "Moonlight" and Kenneth Lonnergan for his original script, "Manchester by the Sea."

“La La Land” came into the night with 14 Oscar nominations including actor, actress, director and picture. </s> LONDON: Hollywood musical "La La Land" picked up five British Bafta film awards on Sunday (Feb 12), including best director and actress, paving the way for Oscar success later this month.

The dreamy tribute to the heyday of Hollywood musicals was named best film, while also picking up gongs for cinematography and original music, in the ceremony at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Accepting the award for best director - beating off competition from the likes of Ken Loach and Tom Ford - Damien Chazelle said it was an "incredible honour" and a pleasure to be there along with those behind the film.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) award for leading actress went to Emma Stone, who plays an aspiring actress in "La La Land" and took on a political tone in her acceptance speech.

"In a time that is so divisive I think it's really special we were all able to come together tonight, thanks to Bafta, and to celebrate the positive," she said.

A throwback to Hollywood's Golden Age, "La La Land" took home seven Golden Globes in January and has been nominated for 14 Oscars.

The best actor Bafta award went to Casey Affleck, for his role in the drama "Manchester By The Sea", beating Ryan Gosling who was nominated for "La La Land".

Affleck said he learnt to act while attending therapy sessions for children of alcoholics.

Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester" also won the original screenplay award, which the director said he was "overwhelmed" to accept.

Flying the flag for UK filmmaking was Ken Loach's "I, Daniel Blake", which won the outstanding British film but lost out in four other categories.

Set in Newcastle, northeast England, the film tells of one man's battle against the bureaucracy of Britain's social welfare system.

Accepting the award for outstanding British film, 80-year-old Loach said filmmakers stand "with the people" and took aim at the government.

"The most unvulnerable and poorest are treated by the government with a callous brutality that is disgraceful," he said.

Ahead of the awards ceremony, he urged the public to become active in politics. "You should know which side you're on and why and get in and take part in politics. There is no time now to sit on the fence," he told AFP.

The glamorous ceremony was woven with political messages, beginning with host Stephen Fry making a jibe at US President Donald Trump who recently described veteran actress Meryl Streep as "overrated".

"I look at row after row of the most overrated people in the audience," quipped the actor, after stepping out at the end of an opening performance by Canadian-based Cirque du Soleil.

Anticipating the ceremony would be peppered with references to Washington and Westminster, actress Viola Davis said she supported filmmakers taking a stand.

"I especially like it in a profession that could be considered narcissistic. But also I think that's what we do as artists. We do, we're rebels, we make political statements," she told AFP, before picking up the best supporting actress award for "Fences".

Dev Patel, who was named best supporting actor for his role in "Lion", said he was already a winner before the ceremony.

"I already just feel so happy to be here. It sounds like a real cliché but I've got my whole family with me. I'm here on home turf at the Baftas wearing a tuxedo walking this red carpet. I feel like a winner," he told AFP outside the Royal Albert Hall.

Other guests braving the cold to walk the red carpet included Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, whose London home Kensington Palace is close to the Royal Albert Hall.
La La Land 's director Damien Chazelle wins the Oscar for Best Director and Emma Stone wins the Best Actress.