The Conversation: Is it Surprising that the Academy is Mostly Old, White and Male?
I'm genuinely surprised regarding this weekend's LA Times report on the demographics of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. No, I'm not surprised that it turns out the organization and its 5,765 voting members consist primarily of old white men. I'm surprised that we didn't already know this to be a concrete fact. I assumed this was already public knowledge. Maybe it's the years reading James Rocchi's Oscar preditions based on "The Ernest Borgnine... More
The Awards Line: Ranking the 2012 Oscar Race -- 'The Dark Knight Rises,' 'The Great Gatsby' and More
Actually that's a fool's game since there's no way to gather which films will make it onto the schedule from here on out let alone know which will stir enough positivity to outlast the others. But if the college sports system can allow pre-rankings of the best in the country before anyone has even played a game, we can speculate on the ten most likely contenders currently slated for 2012. 10. Untitled Kathryn Bigelow Osama bin Laden Film (December 19) She is the first female... More
Moviegoers Take a Vow: For only the second time in history, four movies opened this weekend with over $20 million, with The Vow leading the charge in the top spot with $41.7 million, proving folks are definitely in the mood for love as we approach Valentine's Day tomorrow. Safe House ($39.3 million), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ($27.6 million), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace ($23 million) and Chronicle ($12.3 million) rounded out the top five. The Artist Leads BAFTA Winners:... More
When it comes to the Academy Awards, we get months of back-and-forth between critics and "Oscar gurus" and all those crazy people who spend way too much time obsessing over an awards show, and yet rarely do any of them pay attention to the lesser categories, like, say, the short films. And this year there are some really fantastic short films nominated for an Academy Award. Good news is all of the shorts are being made available to you beforehand, screening in a variety of theater venues... More
'The Hunger Games' Countdown: An Oscar Nod? Really?
Okay, Ross is proud of his star who apparently gave it her all, but could another Best Actress nomination really be in her future? Clearly Lawrence is capable of earning one, but The Hunger Games itself might be what holds her back as, regardless of quality, this type of film tends not to be an Academy favorite in some respects. VISUAL EFFECTS Here’s where The Hunger Games has some serious potential, as more mainstream franchises tend to sneak their way right in. Back in 2003, Pirates... More
Gallery: Stars Come Out For Annual Oscars Luncheon
One of the many perks of being nominated for an Oscar is getting to mingle and eat lunch at the annual Academy Awards luncheon. This year's gathering took place yesterday afternoon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Take a look at some of the familiar faces and some of the first-time nominees who chowed down and smiled for the cameras (not necessarily in that order) as they bask in the glow of awards season. Click on images for larger versions. From left to right: Berenice Bejo and Michael... More
Awards season is drawing to a close. While we await the winners of the Independent Spirit Awards (and yes, the Razzies) in a couple weeks, two more set of awards were handed out over the weekend. Rango picked up four awards, including the 2012 Annie Award for best animated feature. Kung Fu Panda 2 director Jennifer Yuh Nelson won the best director prize while The Adventures of Tintin took home trophies for best animated effects and best music in a feature production. In the live-action field,... More
Academy Awards Scratch Best Song Nominated Performances--Yes, Even from 'The Muppets' and 'Rio'
If you planned on reliving your favorite tunes from last year's best films, the Academy has shattered your dreams. As you may have previously heard, they're omitting performances of the Best Original Song nominations, breaking a years-long tradition. Deadline reported that although Fox and Disney have formally protested the cut — both studios have songs nominated for Rio and The Muppets — their plea has been shot down. The Academy's "complicated"... More
The Awards Line: If Critics Picked the Oscar Nominees ...
Here we sit, still three weeks away from the Oscars, trying to figure out what is left to say. Stories about the Super Bowl get tiring after a few days, let alone the two weeks we have to wait after the conference championships. There are only so many things left to say, especially in a period when most Oscar nameplates have already been engraved. That is why some are left to wallow in smear campaigns and try to drum up drama by saying that The Help is a contender because it won three SAG awards,... More
The Awards Line: The Sag of the Oscar Race
The evening kicked off Sunday with the presentation of the two Supporting acting categories and it was to no one's surprise that Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Octavia Spencer (The Help) walked away with "The Actor." They had already won the other two televised award shows from the ethically questionable Golden Globes and the Broadcast Film Critics Association, gave great speeches and appeared to be paving the way on the road to the ultimate gold -- just as in the previous... More
