Ellen DeGeneres Tapped to Host Oscars
Ellen DeGeneres has been tapped to host next year's Oscars, the Academy of Motions Pictures Arts and Sciences said Thursday.
It will be the comedian and TV talker's first time hosting the Oscars show and first appearance on the award show. She has hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast twice and co-hosted it once, and hosted the Grammys twice.
"Ellen DeGeneres was born to host the Academy Awards," said producer Laura Ziskin in a statement. "I can already tell she is going to set the bar very high for herself and therefore for all of us involved in putting on the show. Now all we need is a lot of great movies."
The 79th Annual Academy Awards are scheduled to be broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 25. This year's Oscarcast, in March, was fronted by "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart.
DeGeneres is the host of the syndicated talk show "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which has won 15 Daytime Emmys since going on the air in 2003.
DeGeneres also starred in the ABC sitcom "Ellen," which aired between 1994 and 1998, and the CBS sitcom, "The Ellen Show," which ran 2001-2002. She has also been a regular in films and has authored several books.
"When Laura Ziskin called, I was thrilled," said DeGeneres in a statement. "There's two things I've always wanted to do in my life. One is to host the Oscars. The second is to get a call from Laura Ziskin. You can imagine that day's diary entry."
cool. i hope she will be great.
*Kills self*
Score one for Morricone at the Oscars
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Ennio Morricone, who has composed more than 300 motion picture scores during a 45-year career, will receive an honorary Oscar from the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The honor will be presented to him Feb. 25 at the 79th Annual Academy Awards "for his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music."
Morricone has been nominated five times for best original score -- for "Days of Heaven" (1978), "The Mission" (1986), "The Untouchables" (1987), "Bugsy" (1991) and "Malena" (2000) -- but has never taken home an Oscar.
He is best known for his work on such Italian films as Sergio Leone's spaghetti Western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and the epic gangster tale "Once Upon a Time in America" as well as Giuseppe Tornatore's nostalgic "Cinema Paradiso." Morricone also has composed scores for such films as "Bulworth," "In the Line of Fire," "La Cage Aux Folles" and "Two Mules for Sister Sara." His current project is Tornatore's "Leningrad," which is scheduled for a 2008 release.
"The board was responding not just to the remarkable number of scores that Mr. Morricone has produced but to the fact that so many of them are beloved and popular masterpieces," Academy president Sid Ganis said.
Born in Rome, Morricone was hired by Leone in 1964 and began a long collaboration with the director.
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Oscar Poster a Font of Famous Film Lines
The new Oscar poster was unfurled Tuesday, and there are lines everywhere. Famous lines from 70 years of famous films.
"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!", "I'm the king of the world!", "I'm ready for my close-up" and "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" are among the quotes that share space with an image of the Oscar statuette on the 79th Annual Academy Awards poster.
"What we have is a failure to communicate," joked Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who told Associated Press Television that the idea of movie lines stood out among the dozens of potential Oscar-poster concepts for this year's version.
"We saw it in rough (form) and thought, `There's an idea.' ... `Yes, the force is strong with this one'."
At first the designers were only going to use lines from Oscar winners, Ganis explained, "and then they broadened the field to Oscar nominees." All but one of the lines were gleaned from films that received an Academy Award nomination for best picture, writing or both from 1936-2005.
"And, of course, we had to include what is probably the most quoted movie line, `I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse,'" Ganis said of the famous "Godfather" comment.
The concept and design for the poster were created for the academy by the Los Angeles ad agency TBWA-Chiat-Day.
Photographer Albert Watson shot the Oscar statuette. The poster employs a black canvas, with the quotes in gold metallic each in a typeface in the spirit of the film from which it came.
The academy planned to send out the posters to the surviving writers of the lines. "It's a great way to say thank you," Ganis said, adding he was going to write each of the scribes a personal note.
Some 65,000 of the posters will be distributed worldwide. They're also available for purchase via the academy's Web site.
Nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 23, with the Oscar ceremony set for Feb. 25.
Quote from: MacGuffin on December 19, 2006, 02:44:13 PM
At first the designers were only going to use lines from Oscar winners, Ganis explained, "and then they broadened the field to Oscar nominees [when the designers realized how often the Academy had been wrong]." All but one of the lines were gleaned from films that received an Academy Award nomination for best picture, writing or both from 1936-2005.
Quote from: MacGuffin on December 19, 2006, 02:44:13 PM
The academy planned to send out the posters to the surviving writers of the lines. "It's a great way to say thank you [instead of actually paying them]," Ganis said, adding he was going to write each of the scribes a personal note.
wow, i guess lord of the rings really had no memorable lines if the best they could come up with is "FRODO!" cool poster though.
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was your edit supposed to be a 'subliminal' message or u wanted to see who actually pays attention to you? :yabbse-grin:
Quote from: kal on December 19, 2006, 07:36:42 PM
was your edit supposed to be a 'subliminal' message or u wanted to see who actually pays attention to you? :yabbse-grin:
he was
[obviously] commenting on the original quotes by putting his "edit" in bold and brackets.
and "FRODO!" kills the poster.
i didnt understand a word of what u said...
are you saying frank mackey is wrong? :ponder:
hahah fuck, i didn't even see that. well now i guess my blunder will draw attention to it. :oops:
Two Tom Cruise movies on there, and both with quotes from him. This poster is Scientologist propaganda.
lol good job mod... even i say something and people still dont realize... good work
that being said, i like the poster... something different from their typical thing
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with a dash of HTTT.
and FRODO is FUCKING embarrassing.
I find "FRODO!" a little weird, since even the AFI listed "My precious" among their top 100.
*space filler*
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Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio - BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole - VENUS
Will Smith - THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza - BABEL
Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL
Achievement in directing
Alejandro González Iñárritu - BABEL
Martin Scorsese - THE DEPARTED
Clint Eastwood - LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Stephen Frears - THE QUEEN
Paul Greengrass - UNITED 93
Adapted screenplay
BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN - Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer & Todd Phillips
CHILDREN OF MEN - Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
THE DEPARTED - William Monahan
LITTLE CHILDREN - Todd Field & Tom Perrotta
NOTES ON A SCANDAL - Patrick Marber
Original screenplay
BABEL - Guillermo Arriaga
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA - Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Michael Arndt
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo del Toro
THE QUEEN - Peter Morgan
Achievement in cinematography
THE BLACK DAHLIA - Vilmos Zsigmond
CHILDREN OF MEN - Emmanuel Lubezki
THE ILLUSIONIST - Dick Pope
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo Navarro
THE PRESTIGE - Wally Pfister
Achievement in film editing
BABEL - Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise
BLOOD DIAMOND - Steven Rosenblum
CHILDREN OF MEN - Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
THE DEPARTED - Thelma Schoonmaker
UNITED 93 - Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson
Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE
Best foreign language film of the year
AFTER THE WEDDING - Denmark
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES) - Algeria
THE LIVES OF OTHERS - Germany
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Mexico
WATER - Canada
Achievement in art direction
DREAMGIRLS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
PAN'S LABYRINTH
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
THE PRESTIGE
Achievement in costume design
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE QUEEN
Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Best documentary short subject
THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT
RECYCLED LIFE
REHEARSING A DREAM
TWO HANDS
Achievement in sound editing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Achievement in sound mixing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
DREAMGIRLS
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Achievement in visual effects
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS
Achievement in makeup
APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN'S LABYRINTH
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
BABEL - Gustavo Santaolalla
THE GOOD GERMAN - Thomas Newman
NOTES ON A SCANDAL - Philip Glass
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Javier Navarrete
THE QUEEN - Alexandre Desplat
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH - Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS - Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler; Lyric by Anne Preven
"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS - Music by Henry Krieger; Lyric by Siedah Garrett
"Our Town" - CARS - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS - Music by Henry Krieger; Lyric by Willie Reale
Best animated short film
THE DANISH POET
LIFTED
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL
MAESTRO
NO TIME FOR NUTS
Best live action short film
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA (BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA)
ÉRAMOS POCOS (ONE TOO MANY)
HELMER & SON
THE SAVIOUR
WEST BANK STORY
HONORARY AWARD
Ennio Morricone
JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Sherry Lansing
I liked Little Miss Sunshine but I see this as if Napoleon Dynamite was nominated for Best Picture.
i dont know why but i am THRILLED that Dreamgirls is NOT UP FOR BEST PICTURE!
what the FUCK is Venus
where the FUCK is sacha baron cohen
LAME
LAME
- I hate Babel
- Agree with P on Sasha Baron Cohen
- Little Miss Sunshine was very original, very funny, refreshing, whatever the fuck... Oscar contender? NOOOT.
These nominations are so lame that for the first time in many years I dont even give a shit about watching this or who wins... fuck the Oscars
Quote from: kal on January 23, 2007, 09:37:22 AMThese nominations are so lame that for the first time in many years I dont even give a shit about watching this or who wins... fuck the Oscars
Which means that almost every year you really care about watching it and who wins?
Quote from: kal on January 23, 2007, 09:37:22 AM
These nominations are so lame that for the first time in many years I dont even give a shit about watching this or who wins... fuck the Oscars
There's no reason for any of us to watch after last year; it had to make the very last of us who still watched out of habit realize that it's only going to get worse. Can any of us say that we've been satisfied with more than a small handful of wins in the last 10 years? I checked the nominations for something interesting, got nothing, and now I'm done. I'll record the show in case of any Baron Cohen antics, but other than that, forget it.
yeah it has been downhill for so long that it's really not much to drop below zero credibility. it's just that i held some hope after the globe for borat, tho i should have realised it was useless since no one else has recognized the film in any major way. i hate to say it but the Oscars have officially become the Grammys, ok they became the Grammys when Gladiator won.. now they're the Grammys the year Santana got 9 of em, ok that might've been RotK's clean sweep. uh..
the only way they could ever be redeemed now is if NO ONE receives an award in any category this year, except for Penelope Cruz and An Inconvenient Truth. and if Ennio Morricone would accept his award by composing a haunting commemorative piece for the Oscars LIVE during his acceptance speech, and he would call it "Requiem for An Awards Show" and perform it by the end of the night. also if the whole damn system was revolutionised so that this kind of shit would never happen again. didn't Shakespeare in Love teach us ANYTHING???? (other than not to care about the Oscars anymore)
you guys are crazy. the oscars are always crap. but this was not exactly a standout year for films so there is nothing really inflammatory about those nominations. which films did you think would be nominated? besides baron cohen who was a serious serious longshot at best, what do you think actually had a shot. remember, this is the oscars we're talking about. atleast there is nothing as odious as Crash here, besides the boring Queen. plus there are atleast some fairly cool (if overrated) films represented...
The Departed 5 Nominations incl. Best Picture and Best Director (maybe its not his best, but atleast its Scorsese)
Babel 7 Nominations incl. Best Picture and Best Director (maybe its not the best, but atleast its Inarritu)
Pans Labyrinth 6 Nominations incl. Best Screenplay and Best Foreign Film (wow, where did that come from?)
Children Of Men 3 Nominations incl. Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography (better than i thought, could've been completely ignored)
Little Miss Sunshine 4 Nominations (sure, it's not Oscar material, but most of us atleast enjoyed it and atleast its NOT oscar bait)
Quote from: modage on January 23, 2007, 10:38:08 AM
Little Miss Sunshine (... atleast its NOT oscar bait)
only jail bait.
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Not only do I not like the Oscars, but I've stopped caring. So much so I almost forgot about them this year entirely. As someone once said, Hollywood isn't honoring the best artists with the Oscars, it only is honoring itself.
Quote from: Pubrick on January 23, 2007, 08:52:57 AM
what the FUCK is Venus
Quote from: Pubrick on January 23, 2007, 10:44:44 AM
only jail bait.
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I'll watch it just to cheer on "anything but The Departed" and hope the highlight is Abigail Breslin winning for supporting actress (why she wasn't a lead, I don't know). But, 2006 sucked almost as much as 2005, so it's no surprise. A Prairie Home Companion was snubbed, and Pan's Labyrinth -- the most worthwhile cinematic experience of the year (even though I have some qualms with it) -- is under-represented. Yeah, it gets the foreign film nod, and while that's nice, it should be competing with the big boys. Plus, the girl who played Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) carried the film, and she gets no love. I am happy Cruz got noticed. She deserves it. It's the year of the Spanish, with Iñárritu and Cuarón dragging behind. Iñárritu in producing a lackluster film that got a lot of recognition, and Cuarón in producing a lackluster film that didn't.
Yea after last year I've stoped caring about Awards season. I just found out a minute ago that the Oscar nominations came up. 2006 did indeed suck.
Quote from: onomabracadabra on January 23, 2007, 04:29:55 PM
I'll watch it just to cheer on "anything but The Departed" and hope the highlight is Abigail Breslin winning for supporting actress (why she wasn't a lead, I don't know).
It was better for her to be promoted as supporting, as she would most definitely not have been nominated at all had they tried for lead. Going this route, she has a better shot at getting nominated (which she did), and possibly winning.
Quote from: Sunrise on January 23, 2007, 09:58:03 AM
Quote from: kal on January 23, 2007, 09:37:22 AMThese nominations are so lame that for the first time in many years I dont even give a shit about watching this or who wins... fuck the Oscars
Which means that almost every year you really care about watching it and who wins?
normally i'd agree, however these are some of the best american made films this year. i find it funny how this year is the year you decide to say fuck the Oscars. this is a pretty good year actually. it's a relative comment cuz sure, the best pictures are never actually nominated. and the shittiest of the 5 nominated usually wins, but come on... english patient... titanic... Chicago... A beautiful Mind... Gladiator... Dances with wolves... every single picture nominated in the best picture category this year is better than any of these past winners.
it's not that i disagree with the sentiment, i just can't fathom that it took this crop of flicks to make you loose your faith in the already dead ceremony. in fact, if anything (and this is stretching a bit i know) this years picks are a little refreshing to me.
little miss sunshine being nominated is a good thing for the awards. classically epics only get the nod. why can't a small scale comedy outshine an epic? since when does scope of a project dictate quality? this is exactly what hollywood wants, they want us to think the higher budget movies are "better" films. that way no one else can compete, cuz no one has the cash flow to make the multi-hundred million dollar epics. that's bullshit imo. on that principle alone i hope sunshine wins. david and goliath.
just think about how many times the superior smaller film got fucked in the bum (either in no nomination or loosing out on the statue) in the oscars - pulp fiction>forrest gump - Fargo>english patient - a simple plan>shakespear in love
and of course the famous year that i'm sure most of you agree with:
magnolia
being john malkovich
The straight story > American Beauty
election
truth is i like forrest gump, shakespear and American beauty, but come on...
-sl-
Morricone Says He Never Wanted an Oscar
Ennio Morricone hoped he would never get an Oscar.
The 78-year-old Italian composer, who will receive an honorary Academy Award later this month, said Thursday that getting five nominations and no awards would have been "something peculiar, something not to be forgotten almost better than an accidental Oscar."
"After five nominations I expected nothing, in fact I hoped I'd remain without an Oscar," he told reporters at the Foreign Press Association.
"I would have remained in the company of illustrious non-winners," Morricone said, singling out Stanley Kubrick and other greats who never won the coveted statuette.
"I see the Oscar as a little bit of a fluke even if those who win deserve it," he said.
"That doesn't mean that I'm not happy about it," he added. "I have received so many beautiful, incredible prizes, but there was a little hole. ... Maybe the Oscar fills the hole."
Morricone has composed more than 400 film scores, including the iconic theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and other spaghetti Westerns directed by Sergio Leone.
He had original score nominations for "Days of Heaven," "The Mission" "The Untouchables," "Bugsy" and "Malena."
Morricone will receive the honorary Oscar during the Feb. 25 awards ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.
he should croak the night before, that would show em.
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Hey, couch critic...
Need a place to express your Oscar predictions? Want to goof on who gave the worst acceptance speech? Have a burning desire to discuss who has the best cleavage of the night?
Then join the like-minded individuals in the Xixax Chat on Oscar night - Sunday February 25th. Beginning with the red carpet arrivals and ending when the Academy screws up the Best Picture winner once again.
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 19, 2007, 01:33:37 AM
Have a burning desire to discuss who has the best cleavage of the night?
It'll be a tossup between Salma Hayek and Monica Bellucci. Scarlett Johanssen will try her best, but she's out of her league.
Quote from: polkablues on February 19, 2007, 02:10:33 AM
Scarlett Johanssen will try her best, but she's out of her league.
if the league is "40+" then yeah, i guess she is.
Quote from: Pubrick on February 19, 2007, 02:32:36 AM
Quote from: polkablues on February 19, 2007, 02:10:33 AM
Scarlett Johanssen will try her best, but she's out of her league.
if the league is "40+" then yeah, i guess she is.
Wait, inches or years?
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 08, 2007, 10:10:02 PM
"I would have remained in the company of illustrious non-winners," Morricone said, singling out Stanley Kubrick and other greats who never won the coveted statuette.
Didn't kubrick win one for special effects fo 2001 wth the special effects coordinator. Am I wrong, Mac, P, anyone?
Yep. He did win that one. Still, he probably felt it unfair to get that one but never win for Best Director, Picture or Writing (which he also deserved).
Shakespeare film is Oscar turkey
Shakespeare in Love has been voted the most undeserving Oscar best film winner of all time.
The romantic comedy, which won seven Oscars in 1999 - including best actress for Gwyneth Paltrow - was voted top Oscar turkey in a poll by MSN Movies.
It was was followed by the 2002 musical Chicago, and the 1997 epic Titanic.
Golden oldie Top Hat was voted the film most deserving of a best picture win, despite it losing out to Mutiny on the Bounty in 1936.
Paltrow was also voted the actress least deserving of her award for Shakespeare in Love, just ahead of Halle Berry's turn in dark romantic drama Monster's Ball.
Berry's over-emotional speech following her 2002 win - during which she referred to herself as the "vessel through which this blessing might flow" - also earned her the worst speech award.
She was followed by James Cameron, who jumped in the air shouting "I'm the King of the World!", following a minute's silence for those who died on the Titanic.
Jack Palance was voted most unworthy of best actor or best supporting actor glory, after picking up the Oscar for his supporting performance in 1991 Western movie City Slickers.
On the red carpet, Bjork's swan dress, which she wore in 2001, was voted the worst Oscar outfit by 29 per cent of people, while Paltrow was also lambasted for her 2002 black gown.
MSN Entertainment Editor Mike Lok said: "We wanted to give the public their chance to participate in the Oscars and it's clear that if viewers had a vote, the results would be entirely different.
"Dreadful dresses and sensationalist speeches really are the talking point after the awards and we're looking forward to another entertaining ceremony this week."
Oscar Predictions, anyone? Will Scorsese finally take it home?
I kind of wish he deosn't, although I loved The Departed, lately every year it's always labeled as Martin's year so who knows.
I wish Guillermo del Toro takes something, writing would be unbelievable because he created such a wonderful world of fantasy within a harsh reality, not that the fantasy world wasn't harsh, it was brutal but so magical at the same time, if he doesn't win anything I hope one of the other categories that Pan's has does.
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 23, 2007, 12:05:04 PM
Oscar Predictions, anyone? Will Scorsese finally take it home?
i really hope so because he's been nominated 134 times by now. but i'm afraid clint eastwood will steal another one.
the only oscar marty will win is a free honorary one. :yabbse-sad:
imagine the voting moment for members of the academy... u have the ballot and u look at clint eastwood and marty... would have to be a fucking not to give scorsese what he deserves and vote AGAIN for clint eastwood who made 2 decent films in auto pilot in the same fucking year
Morris cuts it close with his Oscar docu
By Anne Thompson; Hollywood Reporter
Errol Morris has a problem. It's Wednesday, and he has to complete a four-minute short film in time for it to air on Sunday's Oscar broadcast.
The Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker ("The Fog of War") has a rough cut about five minutes long, comprising 110 short clips of interviews he did around Feb. 5 with this year's Oscar nominees. His problem is, he conducted 20 more interviews Tuesday that he has to add to the film. "I talked to Martin Scorsese for 20 minutes," he says. And he still has to add John Kusiak's score, mix sound and do a final color correction by Saturday night lest Oscar telecast producer Laura Ziskin have one more thing to worry about Sunday.
"Originally when Laura suggested the whole project, we asked if it was even possible. The compression of time between the (Jan. 23) announcement and the (Feb. 25) awards makes it difficult," Morris says.
But if anyone can pull off this feat, it's Morris. A consummate interviewer and journalist, he also is a master of the shortest form there is, the 30-second commercial. (He has done tons of them, from beer and bacon to cars and Democratic campaign spots.) He knows how to work short.
And Morris, who looks and sounds like a rumpled professor from the college town where he lives, Cambridge, Mass., has done a similar Oscar film before. In 2002 he interviewed about 100 people, from folks on the street to Susan Sontag and William Wegman, for the charming "Academy Awards Movie," and collected about 24 hours of material. (The movie is viewable at www.errolmorris.com.) The Oscar night running time: four minutes and 15 seconds.
"Movies are an escape," former California governor (and now state attorney general) Jerry Brown says in one of the dozens of interviews shot with Morris' patented interviewing device dubbed "the Interrotron." The contraption uses mirrors to reflect the director's face behind the camera, some distance away, to his subjects looking straight into the camera. This gives them an engaged intimacy that they wouldn't otherwise have. The director jostles and cajoles answers from them.
"Is that all?" he yells at Brown.
"That's a lot!" Brown fires back.
Morris still dines out on the day that he had to play traffic cop when Walter Cronkite, Al Sharpton, Iggy Pop, Donald Trump and Mikhail Gorbachev all piled up at a New York studio. Then there's the gem about how the White House staff wrote their own questions and answers for first lady Laura Bush after Morris refused to provide them with a list of his questions before the interview. "Is your favorite movie really 'The Wizard of Oz'?" he asked her. "No," she replied. "My favorite movie is 'Giant.' When I was a little girl I had to stand in line to be cast as an extra."
Ziskin tapped Morris for the 2002 "Academy Awards Movie" because she was impressed with his work on a post-Sept. 11 commercial for United Airlines. This time, Ziskin asked all the nominees to fill out a questionnaire (which she will use on the show and make available at Oscars.com). But Morris didn't use them.
"I never prepare a list of questions, ever," he says. "I try not to think about it. I have been known occasionally to go to the movies. You could look at this as my own personal way to meet all the nominees. It was enjoyable, actually."
What was not enjoyable was trying to fit all 130 subjects into four minutes in a way that makes sense. (On the last film, Morris caught hell from some of the luminaries he left out, like U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky.) Morris says Ziskin gave him a much tougher task this go-round. She wanted him to try to interview as many of this year's nominees as he could.
"It's a little moment when everybody gets seen," Ziskin says. "We can't do 'up close and personal' on 177 people. Except for the movie stars who get just four awards, I equate this to a sporting event like the Olympics where you're meeting people in the individual events for the first time with an unknown outcome. In a moment, Errol can capture the essence of somebody. By seeing the people in various ways the audience can be invested."
Morris didn't know who his potential subjects were until nominations morning Jan. 23. And because they were scattered all over the globe, he had to get to most of them around the Academy Nominees luncheon Feb. 5. More of them showed up for the first three sessions that week at a soundstage provided by 20th Century Fox than anyone expected, from Alfonso Cuaron and Penelope Cruz to Peter O'Toole and Abigail Breslin.
"One hundred and thirty nominees -- that in itself is a somewhat daunting task," Morris says. "It's the iron-man interview competition -- 130 in four days."
Morris had to wedge this little assignment in between shooting his full-length documentary on Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison. One day he did grilled a subject for the documentary on one stage and ran back to the Fox lot to interrogate more Oscar nominees. Quite a contrast.
What made it even trickier to shape was Morris' demand that the movie have something significant to impart.
"It has to say something, be about something, and not be a jumble of images," he says. "Not everyone gets the same amount of time. I like to think I am giving the Academy a human face, who these people really are underneath all the glitz and glamour and marketing, that anyone can identify with and like. If I've done that, that's a job well done."
The first unifying principle for Morris, obviously, was that all his subjects are Oscar nominees. He also couldn't ignore their global diversity.
"A large number of films were made outside the studio system or made by foreign directors," he says. "It was unavoidable, how many Spanish-speaking films were nominated: directors, composers, actresses. And how many English writers and directors. You become aware, it's overwhelming, how many categories there are for sound. But I know that location recording, mixing and sound effects are important in movies."
He also gets into issues of thanking people in a painfully short amount of time. "Nominees are always wanting to thank people, and feeling guilt about not thanking people," he says. "That's part of what the Oscars are about."
O'Toole, who frames the short, "has a fabulous story to tell," Morris says. When he asked the veteran actor how many times he had been nominated, O'Toole replied, eight.
"Why didn't you win for 'Lawrence of Arabia'?"
"Because someone else did," O'Toole answers.
Morris hopes that the longer interview footage will somehow get seen. He was especially pleased with what he got from O'Toole, Scorsese and Eddie Murphy.
"They were pretty wonderful," he says. "I hope this will see some life after the fact."
One nominee Morris is sorry he did not get to meet is Sacha Baron Cohen, who was happy to film upon his arrival in town -- on Thursday. But adding him at the last minute turned out to be "too difficult," Morris says. By noon Thursday, Morris had his final cut: four minutes, 40 seconds.
"I'm very pleased," he says. "No one is left on the cutting-room floor."
Predictions:
Babel
Scorsese
Whitaker
Mirren
Haley
Hudson
Original writing: Babel
Adapted: Little Children
Cine: Children of Men
Editing: The Departed
Art Direction: Pan's
Score: Babel
VFX: Pirate's
so there's a film critic here who has worked for the big city paper for decades and decades, his name is Des Partridge. i used to think he knew what he was talking about, but for the last 8 years since i seriously got into movies he has appeared more and more senile (he reckons Good Night and Good Luck was the frontrunner for best pic last year, IDIOT!). his predictions for the oscars this year are as follows:
Little Miss Sparkle, scors, mirren whitaker hudson murphy.
it pisses me off that i agree with him about little miss spirit fingers. i think it could be the surprise winner much like driving miss daisy, they both fit nicely into the first and last lines of a haiku. actually it's more like Chariots of Fire. again same number of syllables. i still hate des partridge tho.
below is a list of my guesses. red signifies possible surprise wins, blue is pretty much the obvious winner, and green is "i wish" or the only ones i actually care about. for the short film categories i guessed based on their titles. Lifted reminded me of the best unreleased radiohead song (and to a lesser extent the same name bright eyes effort).
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 23, 2007, 08:06:52 AM
Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio - BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole - VENUS
Will Smith - THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza - BABEL
Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL
Achievement in directing
Alejandro González Iñárritu - BABEL
Martin Scorsese - THE DEPARTED
Clint Eastwood - LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Stephen Frears - THE QUEEN
Paul Greengrass - UNITED 93
Adapted screenplay
BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN - Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer & Todd Phillips
CHILDREN OF MEN - Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
THE DEPARTED - William Monahan
LITTLE CHILDREN - Todd Field & Tom Perrotta
NOTES ON A SCANDAL - Patrick Marber
Original screenplay
BABEL - Guillermo Arriaga
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA - Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Michael Arndt
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo del Toro
THE QUEEN - Peter Morgan
Achievement in cinematography
THE BLACK DAHLIA - Vilmos Zsigmond
CHILDREN OF MEN - Emmanuel Lubezki
THE ILLUSIONIST - Dick Pope
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo Navarro
THE PRESTIGE - Wally Pfister
Achievement in film editing
BABEL - Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise
BLOOD DIAMOND - Steven Rosenblum
CHILDREN OF MEN - Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
THE DEPARTED - Thelma Schoonmaker
UNITED 93 - Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson
Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE
Best foreign language film of the year
AFTER THE WEDDING - Denmark
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES) - Algeria
THE LIVES OF OTHERS - Germany
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Mexico
WATER - Canada
Achievement in art direction
DREAMGIRLS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
PAN'S LABYRINTH
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
THE PRESTIGE
Achievement in costume design
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
THE QUEEN
Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Best documentary short subject
THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT
RECYCLED LIFE
REHEARSING A DREAM
TWO HANDS
Achievement in sound editing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Achievement in sound mixing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
DREAMGIRLS
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Achievement in visual effects
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS
Achievement in makeup
APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN'S LABYRINTH
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
BABEL - Gustavo Santaolalla
THE GOOD GERMAN - Thomas Newman
NOTES ON A SCANDAL - Philip Glass
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Javier Navarrete
THE QUEEN - Alexandre Desplat
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH - Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS - Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler; Lyric by Anne Preven
"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS - Music by Henry Krieger; Lyric by Siedah Garrett
"Our Town" - CARS - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS - Music by Henry Krieger; Lyric by Willie Reale whichever is the most popular hudson number.
Best animated short film
THE DANISH POET
LIFTED
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL
MAESTRO
NO TIME FOR NUTS
Best live action short film
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA (BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA)
ÉRAMOS POCOS (ONE TOO MANY)
HELMER & SON
THE SAVIOUR
WEST BANK STORY
HONORARY AWARD
Ennio Morricone
JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Sherry Lansing
i should also admit that maybe i overreacted to these nominations. mod is right that at least there's nothing as embarrassing as Crash in contention for any serious award. Peter O Toole and Letters from Iwo Jima are prolly the closest in terms of how boring it will be if they win. and even tho it doesn't reflect reality i still like to watch the stupid show with its stupid speeches and often unpredictable freaks.
oh, and i cannot seriously believe eddie murphy has a chance at the same time that Norbit is out. they would only do such a ridiculous thing to encourage him to stop being a douche bag. and finally, the departed could very well win best pic as it is the safest and most "classic" choice to distance the academy from the controversial option of awarding foreign language films like iwo, babel, and the queen.
Well, the Oscars are tomorrow- well, today. Hard to believe another year has passed. This year in particular is a very interesting year, unlike last year, which was pretty much a close race between Crash and Brokeback Mountain (I predicted Crash's win, much to my disappointment) , and the acting noms (except maybe best actress) and the best director nom were pretty much locks.
This year, I wouldn't be surprising if ANY of the five movies won best picture, to be honest.
So I'm going to make some predictions as well as who I think may be the possible upset win, and of course, state my own preferences as well.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
The funny thing about this category is that it contains younger actors starting to come into themselves, actors who have been around for a while but are at their best here, and one who is considered by many to be one of the greatest actors of all-time, YET, not one of them has ever won! Peter O'Toole received a lifetime achievement Oscar but he is still a strong contender here, and how cool would that be if the guy wins through competition after getting that honorary statute? It's awesome to see the Canadian-born Ryan Gosling get a nomination. We have Dicaprio here, which is great, because he is one of our generation's greatest. I'm sure he would have been in the list twice if it weren't for the academy's rule against more than one nom. I was disappointed he didn't get a nod for the departed, but I have not seen Blood Diamond Yet so I can't really say. Either way, his finest hour was obviously The Aviator, and he didn't win it. So he may have to wait a little longer to get an Oscar, but if O'Toole can do it, he can.
The strong frontrunner here is Forest Whitaker for Last King of Scotland, and he definitely deserves it. I think he's going to take it, and I think he deserves it too, but I have to admit, I have not seen any of the other nominated performances. Terrible, I know. Sorry. Still, don't count out Peter O'Toole, it is very, very, possible he could be the upset win.
PREDICTION: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
UPSET: Peter O'Toole, Venus
PREFERENCE: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress in a Leading Role
I won't say the Academy is sexist, but it seems like most of the time performances by ACTORS will match up with the better movies (IE: The best picture nominees), however, this year, the actresses have them beat. Helen Mirren is the only one in this category to also have her film be nominated for best picture. Meryl Streep is in the mix here, which is really only because she's Meryl Streep. I loved Cruz in Volver and if ANYBODY beats Helen Mirren I hope it's her. But this is Mirren's year. She's one of those actresses who you just assume already has like, 5 oscars already, but no, she hasn't won ever. Also take into fact that she has given one of the most celebrated performances in years, I think it will be her night.
I'm 99% sure Mirren will win, and I'm happy about it, too, because Reese Witherspoon's win for Walk the Line just makes me sick. Was that really the best performance they could find? Yeck. Mirren is an accomplished actress. Witherspoon is a movie star. Sometimes it's better to award who deserves it other than who will look better holding it on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
PREDICTION: Helen Mirren, The Queen
UPSET: looks doubtful...but if anybody beats Mirren it would be Penelope Cruz for Volver
PREFERENCE: I think Mirren SHOULD win, but on other personal levels I liked Cruz
Best Supporting Actor
Okay, where do I begin here? First off, Jack Nicholson was snubbed for his role in the Departed, which has always bugged me. It's one of his best roles, easily in the top 10 of his career (which is saying a lot), but he was snubbed to make room for others who have not won before. What a double standard the academy seems to have, when they can nominate Streep for just about an little performance, while Jack is at the top of the game and gets the shaft.
So I just thought I'd get that out of the way. Two performances that seem to be locks are both for Dreamgirls: Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. I kind of smell an upset here...Maybe one of the two will win, but I don't see BOTH of them winning. I do think Murphy will have the slightly upper hand winning, though. It's real bad Oscar to publicity to come out with Norbit right now, but I think most people will look past it.
The reason why I think he has a better chance of winning than Hudson is because when it comes to musicals, the men never get recognition. Nicole Kidman was nominated for Moulin Rouge, while Ewen McGregor was left our in the cold. Catherine Zeta-Jones WON, and Renee Zellwegger and Queen Latifah were nominated for Chicago. Richard Gere won a Golden Globe but did not get a nomination, and the only actor representing Chicago was John C Rielly for his best supporting actor nomination.
So, that's what Murphy has going for him However, personally, I hope he does not win. If he wins, he will be the first member of Saturday Night Live to win an Oscar, and while the Academy may not take that into consideration, I think that that particular honor should have gone to Bill Murray, for Lost in Translation.
The upset here, and he has a very good chance, is Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine. The guy has been nominated twice before, long, long ago. He also won the BAFTA and obviously strongly contributed to Little Miss Sunshine's SAG win. If there's anything the academy likes better than a comeback, it's making up for past mistakes. I think Arkin has a very strong chance and may be the upset. Jackie Earle Haley may also be the surprise winner, too.
However, I want to go for the dark horse here. I would like to see Mark Wahlberg win. I'm totally upset about Nicholson's snub, but one thing I've noticed about the Departed is that upon multiple viewings, performances by Nicholson, or Dicaprio, is that they are consistently good. Wahlberg, on the other hand, gets better with each viewing. He gives an awesome performance that is hard to pay attention to the first time, but gets better and better each time you watch it.
PREDICTION: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
UPSET: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine, or even possibly Jackie Earle Haley for Little Children
PREFERENCE: Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
Best Supporting Actress
What would it say about the American Dream if some girl who went from nowhere to being on a musical reality TV Show, to starring in a big, popular motion picture, to winning an Oscar for it? What exactly would that say about Dustin Hoffman, who slept on Gene Hackman's floor when he was first starting out, and did plays, until finally getting his big break in The Graduate, for which he was nominated for Best Actor? He didn't win, nor was required to sing, by the way.
I really just hope to god that Hudson doesn't win, though. Nothing against her, she seems delightful, not at all jaded, but I really just hope she doesn't. And I hope Abigail Breslin wins for her AMAZING performance in Little Miss Sunshine. Who knew that child actors could actually act like regular children and still do a great job of it, too? Maybe my desire for Hudson to lose could be clouding my judgment, but I think Breslin may actually have her chance. It's been a while since a child won, after all. Not since Anna Paquiin did for The Piano. And really, Breslin just deserves it.
PREDICTION: Abigial Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
UPSET: Jennifer Hudson, Dream girls (I realize she is the frontrunner, but trust me, it would be an UPSET to me)
PREFERENCE: Where's Olive?
Best Director
Martin Scorsese has lost over and over and over and just when you thought it looked like it might be his year with The Aviator (it was winning left and right that night), boom, he loses. Again. Well, this year, Scorsese has in pretty much in the bag, but even though I loved the Departed, I really think it would have been perfect if he won for The Aviator. This seems like just a 'makeup' win and god how sad would that be? At this point it would even be better just to give him a lifetime achievement award. However, with the Golden Globe, and the DGA Award (an award that seems to predict the best director oscar at least 90% of the time), I guess his pity win is inevitable here. The Departed was great, I loved it, but Scorsese has done better movies that he was far more deserving of. But that's just how it is.
PREDICTION: Marty
UPSET: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel, or Stephen Frears, The Queen
PREFERENCE: Stephen Frears (because if the decisions where up to me, Scorsese would have won several times over anyway)
Best Picture
Okay, it all comes down to Best Picture. Probably the hardest to predict of all the awards here, which is rare. Letters From Iwo Jima and Little Miss Sunshine got the least number of nomination of the nominees, which is never a good sign, and The Departed also got fewer nominations that I thought it would. Babel has the most, but some of the other awards Babel is nominated for would kind of be walking in the same steps as Crash. What if Babel ends up only winning Best Picture, Best Editing, and Best Screenplay as well? Does the academy really want to honor yet another multi-storyline semi-race oriented drama? I don't really think so. Especially if it ends up winning the exact same awards. Talk about déjà vu.
The Academy likes to bundle up movies with a few awards. Crash winning 3 was one of the lowest amounts in recent times. But hey, maybe this will be some crazy year where a movie only wins best picture and maybe one other award. Hey, what if Letters From Iwo Jima wins best picture and nothing else? That might be kind of cool. Movies that are already are video don't USUALLY win- Gladiator did, Crash did, Silence of the Lambs. But this year most of the nominees already are on video, except for The Queen and Letters From Iwo Jima. Maybe the academy will consider them more so that they can put Winner of x Academy Awards on their DVD covers. Maybe. Or maybe The academy will pay attention to The Departed's amazing DVD sales as well as the box office reciepts and award it on that basis. The academy loves it when a movie makes a lot of money, and it's been a while since a really big money-maker won.
However, I think that maybe the dark horse, The Queen has the chance of winning here. Think about it. Best costume design? Best Music? Did it really deserve to be nominated for those awards? Movies that the academy favors tend to get unnecessary nominations and when it comes to movies like The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine, they received the BARE MINIMUM of their possible nominations.
I wasn't really feeling Babel this year, I never felt the desire to go out and see it immediately so maybe that's why I feel the frontrunners here appear to be The Departed and The Queen. I think the Queen may have the better chance though.
If the Departed ends up winning for its screenplay, I think that will be the ultimate sign that it will win best picture.
I liked the Departed better than the Queen, well, I LOVED The departed, it is so great, my favorite movie of the year, but I think The Queen just may surprise everybody by being named the best picture. After all, it did win the BAFTA. Don't forget that.
PREDICTION: The Queen (with 3 or 4 awards)
UPSET: The Departed (with 2 or 3 wins)
PREFERENCE: Do I have a preference? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe fuck yourself.
Other awards:
Best Original Screenplay
PREDICTION: The Queen
UPSET: Babel
PREFERENCE: The Queen
Best Adapted Screenplay
PREDICTION: Children of Men
UPSET: The Departed
PREFERENCE: The Departed
Best Cinematography:
PREDICTION: Pan's Labyrinth
UPSET: n/a
PREFERENCE: n/a
Best Editing
PREDICTION: Children of Men
UPSET: Babel
PREFERENCE: n/a
And that;s all. Cause I'm tired now. Goodnight!
Best motion picture of the year
THINK: BABEL
WANT: THE DEPARTED
really, the only one that would piss me off in this category would be The Queen. it's an HBO movie, it doesn't say anything about film in 06, the other four i enjoyed all. preference is on the Departed since my actual favorite film of the year winning Best Picture would be a shock i might never recover from. i would also settle for Little Miss Sunshine just because its so NOT best picture material, that it would be a really unconventional choice. Babel would be another pat on the back for an 'important' picture though it winning directly after Crash i think is unlikely. The Departed is too violent and Letters From Iwo Jima is subtitled and nobody saw it.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
THINK: Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
WANT: Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
i've only seen 2 of the 5 nominees which is the least of any major category so this is the category i'm the least interested in this year. forest will win, i haven't seen the film. good for him.
Performance by an actress in a leading role
THINK: Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
WANT: Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
the surest lock, mirren will win. i loved Cruz in Volver, always love Winslet though i wasn't crazy about Little Children and thought Streep was great in Prada though i think it's really a supporting performance. i'd be happy with any of those three though instead.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
THINK: Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
WANT: Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
murphy seemed like a dick at the globes, so i kinda hope he doesnt win unless he really breaks down during his speech or something. plus, norbit? ugh. clearly not using this opportunity to take his career in a different direction and he should be punished! i'd kinda like to see Haley win cause it would make his day/life or Arkin because i don't think he's ever won and he's old and is always funny. wahlberg was great in Departed (which is unusual for him) but he's such a cocky bastard in real life i really don't want him to have an oscar. the sole acting nomination from that cast is enough of an ego boost for a decade.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
THINK: Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
WANT: Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL
again, i really want to hold something against Dreamgirls, i'm SO GLAD it wasn't up for Best Picture because i would've bet THAT would've won. Hudson was good, but i think her singing was better than her acting and the likelihood of her getting a great role like this again is so slim she will join the long line of people who got an Oscar and disappeared. that's fine, she seems nice. prefer it if one of the 2 Babel ladies won it, since they were awesome.
Achievement in directing
THINK: Martin Scorsese - THE DEPARTED
WANT: Martin Scorsese - THE DEPARTED
you know this has to happen. can't wait for his speech.
Adapted screenplay
THINK: THE DEPARTED - William Monahan
WANT: CHILDREN OF MEN - Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
Departed would be awesome except it encourages remakes, and Children would be even greater but it encourages lots of rewrites.
Original screenplay
THINK:THE QUEEN - Peter Morgan
WANT: PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo del Toro
most happy if del Toro got an Oscar like this, cause that would be awesome. Hellboy 2, from Oscar winning writer Guillermo del Toro. Babel or LMS would be okay too.
Achievement in cinematography
THINK: PAN'S LABYRINTH - Guillermo Navarro
WANT: CHILDREN OF MEN - Emmanuel Lubezki
i feel like with so many nominations Pans might actually get this one. nobody wants to give an Oscar to Black Dahlia but if any of those old folks bothered to watch Children Of Men before slipping into senility it would surely win.
Achievement in film editing
THINK: UNITED 93 - Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson
WANT: CHILDREN OF MEN - Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
since this was such an early favorite and got shutout of most major categories i feel like they will give it this award as if to say "Never Forget". i'd be ok with any of these winning though, except Blood Diamond cause that movie was sorta dumb.
Best animated feature film of the year
THINK: CARS
WANT: MONSTER HOUSE
Happy Feet might actually take this one, Monster House doesn't have a chance in hell.
Best foreign language film of the year
THINK: PAN'S LABYRINTH - Mexico
WANT: PAN'S LABYRINTH - Mexico
the only one i've seen here. interested in Days and Lives though.
Achievement in art direction
THINK: DREAMGIRLS
WANT: PAN'S LABYRINTH
i think Dreamgirls will stack up a buncha wins (prob more than any other film) and it will do so in these technical categories. it will be the Academy's way of saying "I'm sorry!" about Best Picture.
Achievement in costume design
THINK: DREAMGIRLS
WANT: MARIE ANTOINETTE
again, Dreamgirls will sweep this crapola.
Achievement in visual effects
THINK: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
WANT: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
how good was Davy Jones! why only 3 nominees here though? i know 16 movies last year had special effects and that should make 5 nominees.
Achievement in makeup
THINK: PAN'S LABYRINTH
WANT: PAN'S LABYRINTH
c'mon Pan's.
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
THINK: THE QUEEN - Alexandre Desplat
WANT: PAN'S LABYRINTH - Javier Navarrete
Pan's score was the most memorable of these. too bad The Fountain score will be used in like a dozen trailers and commercials for the NFL as it was the best score of last year.
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 25, 2007, 06:58:18 PM
What are you doing for the next 8 hours? Join us in the chat room as you watch the ceremony.
Was chat working for you? It only got as far as loading the blue background for me.
I think they kicked us out.
We're having problems with it right now, not sure why.
As it stands, we were all kicked out, but it says we are still in there and it won't let us in twice.
...and we were having such a good time! :yabbse-undecided:
I've sent invites to a few people on AIM for a xixaxoscars chat, so that'll hopefully help us get things going again. Much more reliable. Get on AIM, or send me a PM with your screenname, and I'll invite you too.
did anyone start an AIM chat?
It's wrong that Hudson won, period. Get on AIM, everyone. It's a chat of four people now. Almost a party.
my aim is andito@mac.com
Sorry, everyone. It was fun while it lasted. We'll have it sorted out by next year.
Just get an IRC chat room like we had before. None of this flash chat shit.
And now it is a party. Our AIM chat is kicking, with 8 people in now. Join us, why don't you?
Academy Awards, USA: 2007
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: The Departed (2006) - Graham King
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006)
Best Achievement in Directing
Winner: Martin Scorsese for The Departed (2006)
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Winner: Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - Michael Arndt
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Winner: The Departed (2006) - William Monahan
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Winner: Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) - Guillermo Navarro
Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: The Departed (2006) - Thelma Schoonmaker
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Winner: Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) - Eugenio Caballero, Pilar Revuelta
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Winner: Marie Antoinette (2006) - Milena Canonero
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Winner: Babel (2006) - Gustavo Santaolalla
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Winner: An Inconvenient Truth (2006) - Melissa Etheridge("I Need To Wake Up")
Best Achievement in Makeup
Winner: Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) - David Martí, Montse Ribé
Best Achievement in Sound
Winner: Dreamgirls (2006) - Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer, Willie D. Burton
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Winner: Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) - Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Winner: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) - John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charles Gibson, Allen Hall
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Winner: Happy Feet (2006) - George Miller
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Winner: Leben der Anderen, Das (2006)(Germany)
Best Documentary, Features
Winner: An Inconvenient Truth (2006) - Davis Guggenheim
Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Winner: The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006) - Ruby Yang, Thomas Lennon
Best Short Film, Animated
Winner: The Danish Poet (2006) - Torill Kove
Best Short Film, Live Action
Winner: West Bank Story (2005) - Ari Sandel
this was amazing. my favorite movie of the year won Best Picture. this will not happen again for at least a decade.
Maybe it's not fair to judge Scorsese against past Scorsese. He made the best picture out of those nominees, but as I glance over at my Raging Bull DVD, it all just seems kind of silly.
The way things were going, I thought Pan's was a lock for Best Foreign.
What can I say, I just witnessed Martin Scorsese winning an Oscar. I'm really just so happy. Did he say something about making 12-15 more films with Leo?
good:
- the order that made you think one thing was going to win and kept surprising (pan's must get best foreign, sunshine has a chance at best pic)
- tom hanks: "That's right ______! Lots more fun!"
- comedy musical
- meryl streep
- downey on being high
- generally inspiring.. more so than the last few shows.
- degeneres. way better than i expected.
- scorsese obviously
- "master stanley kubrick"
- i probably forgot some stuff. (edit: sound gag, Al Gore announcement gag, what Gamblour said)
not good:
- the order. all the big stuff at the end.
- super short acting clips, but better than nothing a couple years back.
- more spoilers than usual
?:
- jack nicholson began to write something on his hand.. cut away before we understood what he was doing
- seinfeld doing stand up that had nothing to do with what he was presenting.. it started out good but ran too long. i liked seeing him, though.
- santaolalla's music clip for best original score was iguazu which was composed long before babel as far as i know.. it's neat how he's won twice in a row for score.. what's the record?
The Departed 4 Wins (5 Nominations)
Pan's Labyrinth 3 Wins (6 Nominations)
Little Miss Sunshine 2 Wins (4 Nominations)
Dreamgirls 2 Wins (8 Nominations)
Marie Antoinette 1 Win (1 Nomination)
Babel 1 Win (7 Nominations)
Children Of Men 0 Wins (3 Nominations)
I was very impressed with Ellen. Her sense of humor really works well with the ceremony. Not so much her tambourine dancing, but still very excellent. Forest Whitaker's speech especially intense, but had a couple of the actors tearing up, it seems, including McAvoy. Having the three film school brats give Scorsese his award, just an amazing touch, very incredible. That clip of Peter O'Toole made me want to see Venus.
I can't believe the costumer winner worked on Barry Lyndon, very cool to hear her mention the master. The shadow people were cool and entertaining, not at all stuffy like the show wants to be some years.
Don't forget mod: An Inconvenient Truth 2/2
Ellen was good, but they didn't really use her as much as they could have.
Getting rid of Original song would do the Oscars SO much good. It's just not necessary anymore.
The most predictable Oscars I've seen in a long time... 13 out of the 19 I bothered to make a pick on won... I knew Marty would get director, but was still surprised it got picture.... it just plain wasn't anywhere near being the best movie, maybe that's why it surprised me a little.
I was pissed about Pan not getting best foreign film.
Glad the interpretive dances were really quick.
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 25, 2007, 11:25:42 PM
The way things were going, I thought Pan's was a lock for Best Foreign.
Quote from: RegularKarate on February 26, 2007, 12:03:25 AM
I was pissed about Pan not getting best foreign film.
Don't forget, "Amelie" once lost this category to "No Man's Land". I think the whole category is voted on by former Olympics figure skating judges.
Pretty much agree with Picolas specially 'master SK', that was awesome.
Quote from: polkablues on February 26, 2007, 12:46:50 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 25, 2007, 11:25:42 PM
The way things were going, I thought Pan's was a lock for Best Foreign.
Quote from: RegularKarate on February 26, 2007, 12:03:25 AM
I was pissed about Pan not getting best foreign film.
Don't forget, "Amelie" once lost this category to "No Man's Land". I think the whole category is voted on by former Olympics figure skating judges.
Exactly, a guy in a radio show was saying Pan's lost was due to the age of academy members, that they went for the safer pick. :yabbse-angry:
Pretty much everybody in México thought Pan's was a lock too. :yabbse-sad: At least Pan's got some well deserved recognition.
Quote from: picolas on February 25, 2007, 11:42:51 PM
- santaolalla's music clip for best original score was iguazu which was composed long before babel as far as i know.. it's neat how he's won twice in a row for score.. what's the record?
Yeah, that was also on The Insider.
THE LIVES OF OTHERS is an fanastic film!
I'm still pretty confused about the lack of any real attention to the Fountain by the Academy Awards. No noms at all... what the fuck is going on?
Quote from: rudiecorexxx on February 26, 2007, 03:28:37 PM
THE LIVES OF OTHERS is an fanastic film!
Yea, I've heard that too. I really want to see it and while I really did like Pan's Labryinth, it doesn't seem a very bad film won over it.
The Departed, which I didn't like as a Martin Scorsese film or an action film, seemed like a fluke winner. I think about Driving Miss Daisy winning in 1989 when I think about The Departed winning. If people think there were no good films to pick from, I'll mention Letters from Iwo Jima as the better candidate. Eastwood's success lately at the Oscars has made him old hat, but I just saw Letters from Iwo Jima (along with Flags of Our Fathers) and he's really doing his best work. Letters from Iwo Jima was tremendous and should have been the Eastwood film to win Best Picture.
But, I was overjoyed with Scorsese winning. Forget what film he won for, he did deserve it. He also deserved to get the presentors he got to hand him the statue. It was a truly touching moment to see all four friends embrace. When I saw Speilberg, Coppola and Lucas walk out, I knew this year was the perfect time to give him the award.
Quote from: Walrus on February 26, 2007, 04:09:44 PM
I'm still pretty confused about the lack of any real attention to the Fountain by the Academy Awards. No noms at all... what the fuck is going on?
I'm not surprised. I was at first, but I mean, no critics liked it, no one really saw it. There is a small portion of people who liked it. It's only on 4 or so critics top 10 list.
The Aviator and The Departed are on par with anything Scorsese has done.
On a technical level, sure.
I wouldn't use the term 'technical' to qualify my remark.
Everyone else would, though.
I wonder if Ellen really posted that Spielberg picture on her myspace...
Could have gone much worse. While The Departed was the wrong movie for Scorsese to finally win big with, and not the best movie of the year, I don't feel bad about it winning. It would be tough to disappoint after last year's travesty.
Quote from: Lucid on February 26, 2007, 11:07:24 PM
Didn't they change the process for nominating Best Foreign Film this year (as in, making it even more screwed up)?
In the past, an L.A-based committee of several hundred Academy members had picked the five finalists. This year, for the first time, the panel chose the shortlisted nine.
Now a group of 30 -- 10 members from the original committee, 10 new L.A. members and 10 Gotham members -- will whittle the nine down to five, with the results to be unveiled with the rest of the Oscar noms on Jan. 23.
One of the goals is to spread the voting beyond L.A.
Some distribs are confused by the rule changes, saying that the group is smaller and more secretive. The all-important (and anonymous) 30 have been referred to by distribs alternately as the "papal conclave," "the mysterious ones" and the "dirty 30."
Other key rule changes also broadened the field. The Academy this year eliminated the stipulation in which countries must submit films made in the local tongue, which last year kept out buzz pics like Italy's "Private" and Austria's "Cache."
That change eased the way for two of the pics on the shortlist, "Water" and "Black Book," both of which contain at least large chunks of dialogue in non-native languages.
Quote from: Derek on February 26, 2007, 06:57:27 PM
The Aviator and The Departed are on par with anything Scorsese has done.
Yeah, we know. (http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=5470.msg232430#msg232430)
Quote from: RegularKarate on February 26, 2007, 12:03:25 AMGetting rid of Original song would do the Oscars SO much good. It's just not necessary anymore.
totally agree. it's the most worthless category ever. the songs always suck (save a few priceless gems like "blame canada" and "it's hard out there for a pimp") and they're never really integral to the plot in anyway. most of the time they play at the end credits. cutting this category could potentially shave off 20-30mins from the ceremony too.
Quote from: jacksparrow on February 27, 2007, 07:58:11 AM
Quote from: Derek on February 26, 2007, 06:57:27 PM
The Aviator and The Departed are on par with anything Scorsese has done.
Yeah, we know. (http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=5470.msg232430#msg232430)
Wow, you did some digging.
Quote from: ©brad on February 27, 2007, 03:49:17 PM
Quote from: RegularKarate on February 26, 2007, 12:03:25 AMGetting rid of Original song would do the Oscars SO much good. It's just not necessary anymore.
totally agree. it's the most worthless category ever. the songs always suck (save a few priceless gems like "blame canada" and "it's hard out there for a pimp") and they're never really integral to the plot in anyway. most of the time they play at the end credits. cutting this category could potentially shave off 20-30mins from the ceremony too.
dude. Eminem got an Oscar. That category is awesome. Too bad nominated songs suck in general.
Jerry Seinfeld In Hot Water With Documentary Filmmaker
Source: Cinematical
When Jerry Seinfeld came out to present the Best Documentary Award at last month's Oscar telecast, I turned to the person next to me (who was a total stranger) and said "Seinfeld presenting an Oscar? Who's next? Ray Romano?" And then the comic kicked in with a real tired old piece of comedy schtick about the litter you often find in movie theaters. (I guess by now he's run out of jokes about airplane food.) Anyway, the guy was a silly choice to be an Oscar presenter -- and now one of the Oscar-nominated documentarians has decided to speak up for another reason.
Iraq in Fragments producer John Sinno is more than a little unhappy -- justifiably so if you ask me -- and he's not being shy about his displeasure. I'll post the full letter (entitled "An Open Letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences") after the jump, but here's the gist of his umbrage: Seinfeld was pretty damn disrespectful of the documentary genre while cracking jokes for a billion-plus audience. Mr. Sinno is particularly unhappy with the ignorant and dismissive way in which the Oscar-nominated documentaries were described as "incredibly depressing!" (I was particularly unhappy about the really obvious humor from a guy who really ought to have some good new material by this point. Wow, docos about war are "depressing!" You go, Seinfeld, that's some insight!)
Sinno's got a point: If ever there were ever opportunity to educate and elucidate a large audience as to the importance of documentary films, it would be during the annual Oscar broadcast. Yet Seinfeld (who appeared in one half-decent documentary that probably had ten times the budget of Iraq in Fragments) took the stage and basically reinforced all the lamest stereotypes out there. I mean, would it be so hard to find presenters (and joke writers) who actually know a little bit about film? Or is it preferable to simply roll out a disinterested billionaire and let him "humorously" spew a bunch of short-sighted fallacies? (Oh, but if they chose a different presenter we might have missed all that hilarious stuff about movie theater litter!) Well, we now know where John Sinno stands; his letter to the Academy is included below.
An open letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
I had the great fortune of attending the 79th Academy Awards following my nomination as producer for a film in the Best Documentary Feature category. At the Awards ceremony, most categories featured an introduction that glorified the filmmakers' craft and the role it plays for the film audience and industry. But when comedian Jerry Seinfeld introduced the award for Best Documentary Feature, he began by referring to a documentary that features himself as a subject, then proceeded to poke fun at it by saying it won no awards and made no money. He then revealed his love of documentaries, as they have a very "real" quality, while making a comically sour face. This less-than-flattering beginning was followed by a lengthy digression that had nothing whatsoever to do with documentary films. The clincher, however, came when he wrapped up his introduction by calling all five nominated films "incredibly depressing!"
While I appreciate the role of humor in our lives, Jerry Seinfeld's remarks were made at the expense of thousands of documentary filmmakers and the entire documentary genre. Obviously we make films not for awards or money, although we are glad if we are fortunate enough to receive them. The important thing is to tell stories, whether of people who have been damaged by war, of humankind's reckless attitude toward nature and the environment, or even of the lives and habits of penguins. With his lengthy, dismissive and digressive introduction, Jerry Seinfeld had no time left for any individual description of the five nominated films. And by labeling the documentaries "incredibly depressing," he indirectly told millions of viewers not to bother seeing them because they're nothing but downers. He wasted a wonderful opportunity to excite viewers about the nominated films and about the documentary genre in general.
To have a presenter introduce a category with such disrespect for the nominees and their work is counter to the principles the Academy was founded upon. To be nominated for an Academy Award is one of the highest honors our peers can give us, and to have the films dismissed in such an offhand fashion was deeply insulting. The Academy owes all documentary filmmakers an apology.
Seinfeld's introduction arrived on the heels of an announcement by the Academy that the number of cities where documentary films must screen to qualify for an Academy Award is being increased by 75%. This will make it much more difficult for independent filmmakers' work to qualify for the Best Documentary Feature Award, while giving an advantage to films distributed by large studios. Fewer controversial films will qualify for Academy consideration, and my film Iraq in Fragments would have been disqualified this year. This announcement came as a great disappointment to me and to other documentary filmmakers. I hope the Academy will reconsider its decision.
On a final note, I would like to point out that there was no mention of the Iraq War during the Oscar telecast, though it was on the minds of many in the theatre and of millions of viewers. It is wonderful to see the Academy support the protection of the environment. Unfortunately there is more than just one inconvenient truth in this world. Having mention of the Iraq War avoided altogether was a painful reminder for many of us that our country is living in a state of denial. As filmmakers, it is the greatest professional crime we can commit not to speak out with the truth. We owe it to the public.
I hope what I have said is taken to heart. It comes from my concern for the cinematic art and its crucial role in the times we're living in.
John Sinno
Academy Award Nominee, Iraq In Fragments
Co-Founder, Northwest Documentary Association
He may be right... but Seinfeld was one of the funniest moments... and he is Seinfed after all.
He needs to lighten up... nobody gives a shit about who wins for Documentary so at least Seinfeld there made a few people pay attention instead of changing the channel.
Quote from: kal on March 02, 2007, 09:50:14 PM
He may be right... but Seinfeld was one of the funniest moments...
no he wasn't.
Sinno is right in all his points. seinfeld hasn't been funny since season 6 of his show. but that's ok, and he doesn't need to be defended cos he's a billionaire and really couldn't care less about criticism including what Sinno said. the lighten up excuse would be fine if all his other points weren't true. it wasn't a harmless joke about sound engineering being "the most important award of the night", he was really a stupid choice to present it and his only reason to even attend was the stupid Bee Movie coming out whenever. the last time he didn't come off as a totally irrelevant personality was on letterman, and even then only cos he had michael richards to be a bigger douche bag by comparison.
where was this guy when Colbert bad-mouthed the reality tv category at the so and so's is my question.
this is so last week but i couldn't let pozer down.. this year was so boring it barely deserves a summary. pic did a good one, especially the master SK (lame when the highlight of the nite is a shout out), so here's all i care to mention:
too many names
Jaden Christopher Syre Smith
hot stuff
helen mirren
trying to win an oscar for her performance at the oscars
beyonce
no one outside america gives a shit about your "journey", or knows who you are, and no one after 2007 should pay attention to you ever again
jennifer hudson
best reaction of the nite
cate blanchett reading winner of foreign film, thinking the same as us: "Germany who?"
most badass posse
the 3 beardos
cutest patootey
abigail breslin
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg405.imageshack.us%2Fimg405%2F4986%2Fmirren3pm2.jpg&hash=7b09404efcb99b93b8b51455b26ada0f6da0709a)
Off topic, but the hotness of Helen Mirren is very underrated. I have a penchant for hot, European actresses and Mrs. Mirren was first class in her day. Try to see "Age of Consent" or "Savage Messiah" for some great examples.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fspielbergfilms.com%2Fimages%2FGeneral%2F2007oscars9.jpg&hash=c2b54b6507ace891664024bbded43caa9105af28)
and the question goes: whose fingers is it?
my guess is lucas because he's a whiny bitch.
it has to be lucas... or else the others need very long arms... cool picture i just saved it