Three-way tie at top of Spirit Award noms
'Ballast,' 'Frozen River,' 'Rachel' all grab six nominations
Source: Hollywood Reporter
With six nominations each, "Ballast," a drama about survival in the Mississippi Delta, "Frozen River," a portrait of two single moms on the Canadian border, and "Rachel Getting Married," the account of a dysfunctional family wedding, led the nominees for Film Independent's Spirit Awards, announced Tuesday morning.
All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."
Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.
"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool," Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy," Christopher Zalla's "Sangre De Mi Sangre" and Alex Rivera's "Sleep Dealer."
The actresses who will compete for best female lead include Summer Bishil ("Towelhead"), Anne Hathaway ("Rachel"), Melissa Leo ("River"), Tarra Riggs ("Ballast") and Michelle Williams ("Wendy and Lucy").
The actors in the best male lead category are Javier Bardem ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"), Sean Penn ("Milk"), Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler").
"Rachel" also scored two nominations in the supporting female category for Rosemarie De Witt and Debra Winger. Also nominated are Penelope Cruz ("Vicky"), Rosie Perez ("The Take") and Misty Upham ("River").
Nominated for best supporting male are James Franco ("Milk"), Anthony Mackie ("The Hurt Locker"), Charlie McDermott ("River"), JimMyron Ross ("Ballast") and Haaz Sleiman ("Visitor").
When it came to best director, the nominations mixed it up a bit. Of the five best feature nominees, "Rachel's" Jonathan Demme, "Ballast's" Lance Hammer and "River's" Courtney Hunt all earned nominations. But "Wendy's" Kelly Reichardt and "Wrestler's" Darren Aronofksy didn't make the cut. Instead, the nominations embraced Ramin Bahrani, who directed "Chop Shop," and Tom McCarthy, who directed "The Visitor."
Hammer and Hunt were also nominated for best first screenplay, along with Dustin Lance Black ("Milk"), Jonathan Levine ("The Wackness") and Jenny Lumet ("Rachel").
Woody Allen will be invited to visit the awards, which take place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, since he was nominated for his "Vicky Christina Barcelona" screenplay. His fellow nominees in the screenplay category are Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck ("Sugar"), Kaufman ("Synecdoche"), Howard A. Rodman ("Savage Grace") and Christopher Zalla ("Sangre De Mi Sangre").
Cited for their cinematography are Maryse Alberti ("Wrester), Lol Crawley ("Ballast"), James Laxton ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Harris Savides ("Milk") and Michael Simmonds ("Chop Suey").
The Spirits handed out nominations for best foreign film to Laurent Cantet's "The Class" from France, Matteo Garrone's "Gomorra" (Italy), Steve McQueen's "Hunger" (U.K./Ireland), Abdellatif Kechiche's "Secret of the Grain" (France) and Carols Reygadas' "Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany). The most obvious omission was the Mumbai-set "Slumdog Millionaire," one of the critical hits of the season.
The documentary nominees are "The Betrayal," directed by Ellen Kuras & Thavisouk Phrasavath; "Encounters at the End of the World," Werner Herzog; "Man on Wire," James Marsh; "The Order of Myths," Margaret Brown, and "Up the Yangtze," Yung Chang.
Nominees for the John Cassavetes Award, given to the best first feature made for under $500,000 are "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," "Prince of Broadway," "The Signal," "Take Out" and "Turn the River."
The winner of the Acura Someone to Watch Award, given to a filmmaker who has not yet received "appropriate recognation" will be chosen from among directors Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Nina Paley ("Sita Sings the Blues") and Lynn Shelton ("My Effortless Brilliance").
Nominated for the Lacoste Truer Than Fiction Award given to an emerging director of non-fiction films are Brown ("The Order of Myths"), Sacha Gerevasi ("Anvil! The Story of Anvil") and Darius Marder ("Loot").
Nominees for the Piaget Producers Award are Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, producers of "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"; Jason Orans, producer of "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish," and Heather Rae, producer of "River" and "Ibid."
Among distributors, Sony Pictures Classics easily outpaced the competition by picking up 18 nominations and fielding two of the best feature nominees, "River" and "Rachel." IFC Films followed with 11 nominations.
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh announced the nominations at the Sofitel L.A. hotel.
A list of nominees follows:
Best feature
"Ballast"
"Frozen River"
"Rachel Getting Married"
"Wendy and Lucy"
"The Wrestler"
Best director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Tom McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best first feature
"Afterschool"
"Medicine for Melancholy"
"Sangre De Mi Sangre"
"Sleep Dealer"
"Synecdoche, New York"
Best screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre De Mi Sangre"
Best female lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best male lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best supporting female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best supporting male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crawley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best documentary
"The Betrayal"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"Man on Wire"
"The Order of Myths"
"Up the Yangtze"
Best foreign film
"The Class" (France)
"Gomorra" (Italy)
"Hunger" (U.K./Ireland)
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Robert Altman Award
"Synecdoche, New York"
'Slumdog' is NBR's best film of year
Clint Eastwood best actor for 'Gran Torino'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire," Danny Boyle's tale of a Mumbai orphan who beats the odds, was named best film of the year by the National Board of Review.
The New York-based organization, which is always one of the first out of the gate with year-end film kudos, bestowed its best actor honors on Clint Eastwood, who plays an ex-Marine at war with a changing world in "Gran Torino," and its best actress honors on Anne Hathaway, who appears as a disruptive, recovering addict in "Rachel Getting Married."
"Slumdog's" Dev Patel also was recognized for breakthrough performance by an actor. The film's screenwriter, Simon Beaufoy, was cited for best adapted screenplay, sharing that award with Eric Roth, who penned "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
The best original screenplay prize went to Nick Schenk for "Gran Torino."
"Button," the epic love story about a man whose life runs backwards, earned David Fincher the best director prize.
Supporting actor honors went to Josh Brolin, who plays the assassin Dan White in "Milk," and Penelope Cruz, who appears as a tempetuous divorcee in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" was named best foreign-language film, while James Marsh's "Man on Wire" was singled out as best documentary.
Pixar/Disney's "WALL-E" walked off with the prize for best animated feature.
Miramax's "Doubt" earned the prize for best supporting cast, with its Viola Davis cited for breakthrough performance by an actress.
"Frozen River's" Melissa Leo, who just took top acting honors at the Gotham Awards, shared the Spotlight Award with "The Visitor's" Richard Jenkins.
The Bvlgaricq Award for NBR Freedom of Expression went to Peter Askin's documentary "Trumbo."
The NBR, which is comprised of 122 film buffs, academics, professionals and historians, also cited its top ten films of the year. In alphabetical order, they are "Burn After Reading," "Changeling," "Button," "The Dark Knight," "Defiance," "Frost/Nixon," "Torino," "Milk," "WALL-E" and "The Wrestler."
Its five top foreign-language films are "Edge of Heaven," Let the Right One In," Roman de Gare," "A Secret" and "Waltz with Bashir."
Its top five docs are "American Teen," "The Betrayal" (Nerakhoon), "Dear Zachary," "Encounters at the End of the World" and "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired."
The group also gave its William K. Everson Film History Award to married film critics Molly Haskell and Andrew Sarris.
The awards will be presented at the NBR's annual gala on Jan. 14 at Cipriani's 42nd St. in New York.
DC Critics honor 'Slumdog'
Rourke, Streep take best actor, actress
By VARIETY
Washington DC - The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) today announced its selection of the surprise indie hit "Slumdog Millionaire" as Best Film of 2008. In total, the Fox Searchlight film won four awards including Best Director for Danny Boyle, Best Breakthrough Performance for Dev Patel and Best Adapted Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy.
Comeback master Mickey Rourke took home the belt for Best Actor for his gritty, raw portrayal of a washed up professional wrestler who can't give up the spotlight in Fox Searchlight's "The Wrestler," while Meryl Streep was awarded her first WAFCA award by winning Best Actress for her turn as a strict Catholic school nun seeking the truth in Miramax's "Doubt."
"In the face of massive marketing for big studio films, it is the ultimate underdogs who have emerged as critic's darlings and fan favorites," said Tim Gordon, president of WAFCA.
In other categories, the late Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for his stunning, captivating portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight" from Warner Brothers Pictures, while Disney/Pixar's lovable, Chaplin-esque "Wall·E" was named Best Animated Feature, and Paramount's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was honored for Best Art Direction.
The cast of "Doubt" also walked away with Best Acting Ensemble, while Rosemarie DeWitt won Best Supporting Actress for "Rachel Getting Married" from Sony Pictures Classics.
The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association is comprised of 46 DC-VA-MD based film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet. Voting was conducted from December 5 - 7, 2008.
Best Film: "Slumdog Millionaire"/Fox Searchlight
Best Director: Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire")
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler")
Best Actress: Meryl Streep ("Doubt")
Best Ensemble: "Doubt"/Miramax
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight")
Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt ("Rachel Getting Married")
Best Breakthrough Performance: Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire")
Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire")
Best Original Screenplay: Jenny Lumet ("Rachel Getting Married")
Best Animated Feature: "Wall·E" /Disney & Pixar
Best Foreign Language Film: "Let the Right One In"/Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing
Best Documentary: "Man on Wire"/Magnolia
Best Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"/Paramount
It's like Tyler Durden has come drunk posting. Next I'm expecting to see:
YOU CAN USE MOTOR OIL TO FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN
or
RECYCLE YOUR PETS
YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL.
LA Film Critics Awards
The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. has named Disney/Pixar's "Wall-E" the best picture of the year, marking the first time in its history that it has given its top prize to an animated film.
Danny Boyle took the directing award for Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire." Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," a Warner Bros. release, was the runner-up for both pic and director.
Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" received two awards, for actress Sally Hawkins and Leigh's screenplay, while Jia Zhangke's "Still Life" nabbed nods for foreign-language film and Yu Lik Wai's cinematography. "Slumdog" also won the music prize for A.R. Rahman's score.
Picture: "Wall-E"
Runner-up: "The Dark Knight"
Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy"
Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Foreign-language film: "Still Life"
Runner-up: "The Class"
Documentary: "Man on Wire"
Runner-up: "Waltz With Bashir"
Animation: "Waltz With Bashir"
Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, "Still Life"
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Production design: Mark Friedberg, "Synecdoche, New York"
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, "The Dark Knight"
Music/score: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
New Generation: Steve McQueen, "Hunger"
Douglas E. Edwards independent/experimental film/video: James Benning, "RR" and "Casting a Glance"
New York Film Critics Awards
Best Actress
Sally Hawkins
Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Screenplay
Jenny Lumet
Rachel Getting Married
Best Cinematographer
Anthony Dod Mantle
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin
Milk
Best Animated Film
WALL-E
Best Director
Mike Leigh
Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best First Film
Courtney Hunt
Frozen River
Best Foreign Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best Actor
Sean Penn
Milk
Best Documentary
Man on Wire
Best Picture
Milk
AFI unveils top 10 for 2008
'Button,' 'Milk,' 'Iron Man' make the film list
American Film Institute released the winners of its AFI Awards Sunday, including its annual top 10 list.
Org's top 10 movies of the year, in alphabetical order, are "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Frozen River," "Gran Torino," "Iron Man," "Milk," 'Wall-E," "Wendy and Lucy," and "The Wrestler."
"Slumdog Millionaire," which has been racking up honors this awards season, was not on the list. One of AFI's criteria is that a film has "significant creative and/or production elements from the United States."
Awards contenders "Revolutionary Road," "Reader" and "Doubt," which meet that criterion, were also left off the list.
The AFI top 10 TV programs of the year, including series, telepics and minis, are "Breaking Bad," "In Treatment," "John Adams," "Life," "Lost," 'Mad Men," "The Office," "Recount," "The Shield," and "The Wire."
Several series that garnered multiple nominations from the Golden Globes and guilds in the past week were left off the list, including: "30 Rock," "Entourage," "Weeds," "Damages," "Dexter," "House" and "True Blood." This is the first awards attention NBC's "Life" has ever received.
AFI kudos are selected with a 13-person jury process where members discuss and debate the merits of titles and provide detailed rationale for each selection. The jury's composed of "scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees."
"Entertainment Tonight" film critic Leonard Maltin chaired the film jury, while AFI Trustee Emeritus Richard Frank chaired the television jury. For a full list of jurors, visit Variety.com
Creative teams for the selections will be honored at a luncheon Jan. 9 at the Four Seasons Hotel in BevHills.
'Wall-E' and 'Slumdog Millionaire' share Boston film critics' top award
The Boston Society of Film Critics had trouble deciding top honorees, leading to ties for best picture and actor.
Best picture (tie): "Wall-E," "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best actor (tie:: Sean Penn, "Milk"; Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Best supporting actress: Penélope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Best director: Gus Van Sant, "Milk," "Paranoid Park"
Best screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Best cinematography: Christopher Doyle, Rain Kathy Li, "Paranoid Park"
Best documentary: "Man on Wire"
Best foreign-language film: "Let the Right One In"
Best animated film: "Wall-E"
Best film editing: Chris Dickens, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best new filmmaker: Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"
Best ensemble cast: "Tropic Thunder"
Awesome. Hopefully that will help Let The Right One In gain some momentum.
Austin critics pick 'Dark Knight'
Christopher Nolan film named best of 2008
The Austin Film Critics Association has named "The Dark Knight" as the best picture of 2008.
The Warner Bros. film earned five awards in total, including director for Christopher Nolan, adapted screenplay, supporting actor for Heath Ledger and score.
Top acting wins went to Sean Penn for "Milk" and Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married." Taraji P. Henson won the supporting actress prize for her part in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Danny McBride took home the breakthrough artist award for his work in "Pineapple Express," "The Foot Fist Way" and "Tropic Thunder."
Documentary "Crawford" won the prize for best Austin film, which celebrates local filmmakers and productions.
And the winners are:
Top 10 Films:
"The Dark Knight
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Milk"
"Synecdoche, New York"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Wrestler"
"Wall*E"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Let the Right One In"
"Gran Torino"
Picture:
"The Dark Knight"
Director:
Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"
Actor:
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Actress:
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married
Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress:
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Original Screenplay:
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York
Adapted Screenplay:
"The Dark Knight," Jonthan Nolan & Christopher Nolan
Cinematography:
"The Fall," Colin Watkinson
Original Score:
"The Dark Knight," James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmerman
Foreign Language Film:
"Let the Right One In" ("Låt den rätte komma in") (Sweden)
Documentary Film:
"Man on Wire"
Animated Feature:
"Wall*E"
Breakthrough Artist Award:
Danny McBride, Pineapple Express/The Foot Fist Way/Tropic Thunder
First Film:
Nacho Vigalondo, "Timecrimes" ("Los Cronocrímenes")
Austin Film:
"Crawford"
15th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
RICHARD JENKINS / Walter Vale - "THE VISITOR" (Overture Films)
FRANK LANGELLA / Richard Nixon - "FROST/NIXON" (Universal Pictures)
SEAN PENN / Harvey Milk - "MILK" (Focus Features)
BRAD PITT / Benjamin Button - "THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON" (Paramount Pictures)
MICKEY ROURKE / Randy - "THE WRESTLER" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
ANNE HATHAWAY / Kym - "RACHEL GETTING MARRIED" (Sony Pictures Classics)
ANGELINA JOLIE / Christine Collins - "CHANGELING" (Universal Pictures)
MELISSA LEO / Ray Eddy - "FROZEN RIVER" (Sony Pictures Classics)
MERYL STREEP / Sister Aloysius Beauvier - "DOUBT" (Miramax Films)
KATE WINSLET / April Wheeler - "REVOLUTIONARY ROAD" (Paramount Vantage)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JOSH BROLIN / Dan White - "MILK" (Focus Features)
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. / Kirk Lazarus - "TROPIC THUNDER" (Paramount Pictures)
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN / Father Brendan Flynn - "DOUBT" (Miramax Films)
HEATH LEDGER / Joker - "THE DARK KNIGHT" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DEV PATEL / Older Jamal - "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
AMY ADAMS / Sister James - "DOUBT" (Miramax Flms)
PENÉLOPE CRUZ / Maria Elena - "VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA" (The Weinstein Company)
VIOLA DAVIS / Mrs. Miller - "DOUBT" (Miramax Films)
TARAJI P. HENSON / Queenie - "THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON" (Paramount Pictures)
KATE WINSLET / Hanna Schmitz - "THE READER" (The Weinstein Company)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
DOUBT (Miramax)
FROST/NIXON (Universal Pictures)
MILK (Focus Features)
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (Paramount Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
RALPH FIENNES / Bernard Lafferty - "BERNARD AND DORIS" (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / John Adams - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
KEVIN SPACEY / Ron Klain - "RECOUNT" (HBO)
KIEFER SUTHERLAND / Jack Bauer - "24: REDEMPTION" (FOX)
TOM WILKINSON / Benjamin Franklin - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURA DERN / Katherine Harris - "RECOUNT" (HBO)
LAURA LINNEY / Abigail Adams - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
SHIRLEY MacLAINE / Coco Chanel - "COCO CHANEL" (Lifetime)
PHYLICIA RASHAD / Lena Younger - "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" (Lifetime)
SUSAN SARANDON / Doris Duke - "BERNARD AND DORIS" (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - "DEXTER" (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper - "MAD MEN" (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Gregory House - "HOUSE" (FOX)
WILLIAM SHATNER / Denny Crane - "BOSTON LEGAL" (ABC)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore - "BOSTON LEGAL" (ABC)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker - "BROTHERS & SISTERS" (ABC)
MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson - "LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT" (NBC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko - "SAVING GRACE" (TNT)
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson - "MAD MEN" (AMC)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson - "THE CLOSER" (TNT)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - "30 ROCK" (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - "THE OFFICE" (NBC)
DAVID DUCHOVNY / Hank Moody - "CALIFORNICATION" (Showtime)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold - "ENTOURAGE" (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk - "MONK" (USA)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly - "SAMANTHA WHO?" (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez - "UGLY BETTY" (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - "30 ROCK" (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin - "WEEDS" (Showtime)
TRACEY ULLMAN / Various Characters - "TRACEY ULLMAN'S STATE OF THE UNION" (Showtime)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
DEXTER (Showtime)
HOUSE (Fox)
MAD MEN (AMC)
THE CLOSER (TNT)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
THE OFFICE (NBC)
WEEDS (Showtime)
Chicago critics laud 'Wall-E'
Animated feature wins four awards
The Chicago Film Critics Association has named Disney/Pixar's "Wall-E" the best pic of 2008. In addition to top honors, the toon also picked up prizes for original screenplay for Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, score for Thomas Newman and best animated feature.
Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" nabbed three nods for director, adapted screenplay for Simon Beaufoy and promising newcomer for Dev Patel.
In the acting categories, Mickey Rourke and Anne Hathaway continue to collect laurels with their turns in "The Wrestler" and "Rachel Getting Married," respectively.
The promising director award went to Tomas Alfredson for his vampire drama "Let the Right One In."
PICTURE: "Wall•E"
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: "Wall•E" (Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Simon Beaufoy)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "Let the Right One In"
DOCUMENTARY: "Man On Wire"
ANIMATED FEATURE: "Wall•E"
CINEMATOGRAPHY: "The Dark Knight" (Wally Pfister)
ORIGINAL SCORE: "Wall•E" (Thomas Newman)
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Dev Patel, "Slumdog Millionaire"
MOST PROMISING DIRECTOR: Tomas Alfredson, "Let the Right One In"
'Bashir' takes top honors from National Society of Film Critics
The animated documentary was named best picture, with 'Happy-Go-Lucky' and 'Wall-E' tying for runner-up. Many leading Oscar contenders failed to make a splash with Film Critics society voters.
An animated Israeli film that's taken on unexpected timeliness in recent days won the top award Saturday from U.S. film critics.
"Waltz With Bashir," Ari Folman's animated documentary chronicling his coming to terms with repressed memories of his experiences with the Israeli army in the 1982 Lebanon War, was named best picture of 2008 by the National Society of Film Critics. The film was released in the U.S. only weeks before Israel's military offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
The daring film, which is nominated for a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and uses multiple animation techniques, has also earned numerous accolades including six awards from the Israeli Film Academy and best animated film from the Los Angeles Critics Assn.
Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" and Disney/Pixar's animated hit "Wall-E" tied for runner-up in the best picture category.
Leigh earned best director and screenplay for his humanistic comedy, with the film's Sally Hawkins winning best actress as the eternally optimistic Poppy, and Eddie Marsan winning best supporting actor as her cranky driving instructor.
Sean Penn is shaping up to be the leading contender for the best actor Oscar as he received the top honor from the society for his touching portrait of slain gay activist Harvey Milk in "Milk." He's already earned best actor from numerous critics' groups including both the L.A. and the New York Film Critics Circle, as well as nominations for the Critic's Choice Award, the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award.
Hawkins previously had been named best actress by both L.A. and New York and is nominated for a Golden Globe, but failed to get a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Leigh also earned best director from the New York film critics and screenplay from the L.A. group.
Best supporting actress went to veteran German performer Hanna Schygulla for "The Edge of Heaven," and nonfiction film honors went to "Man on Wire."
Ironically, several of the top nominees for the Golden Globes, including "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Doubt," "Frost/Nixon" and "Revolutionary Road," failed to cause a ripple with the Film Critics society, which consists of critics from major publications across the country.
This year's Cinderella story, "Slumdog Millionaire" won best cinematography for Anthony Dod Mantle.
Just as with the L.A. and New York film critics' groups, the society is known for its rather esoteric selections. In fact, over the past 31 years, the group has only agreed with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences four times in the best picture category -- the last being 2004's "Million Dollar Baby."
Ken Jacob's "Razzle Dazzle" was named best experimental film. And film heritage awards were announced for the "Murnau, Borzage and Fox" DVD set, for Sam Fuller's 1982 film "White Dog," for Flicker Alley for its DVD releases of rare silent American and European films, and the restoration of Kent Mackenzie's 1961 film, "The Exiles" by Ross Lipman at UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Forty-nine of the 63 members of the society voted Saturday afternoon at the 43rd annual meeting at the venerable Sardi's restaurant in New York City.
PGA unveils film nominations
Winners will be announced on Jan. 24
The Producers Guild of America has tapped "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire" as nominees for its top feature award.
The winner, determined by voting of the 4,000 members of the PGA, will be announced Jan. 24 at the Hollywood Palladium.
The PGA's announcement Monday contained no major surprises. Nominees for its Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award include Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall and Cean Chaffin for "Benjamin Button"; Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven and Emma Thomas for "The Dark Knight"; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner for "Frost/Nixon"; Dan Jinks & Bruce Cohen for "Milk"; and Christopher Colson for "Slumdog Millionaire."
The group also announced its documentary feature nominees: Simon Chin for "Man on Wire," Julie Bilson Ahlberg and Errol Morris for "Standard Operating Procedure," and Carl Deal and Tia Lessin for "Trouble the Water." The PGA launched the category last year with "Sicko" winning the first trophy.
Animated feature mentions went to Clark Spencer for "Bolt," Melissa Cobb for "Kung Fu Panda" and Jim Morris for "Wall-E." "Ratatouille" won the award last year.
The PGA Awards also will include kudos in five TV categories. Those nominations were unveiled last month.
"Button," "Frost/Nixon" and "Slumdog" received Golden Globe mentions for top drama along with SAG noms for the guild's ensemble trophy.
Winner of the PGA award has gone on to claim the best picture Oscar in 12 of the last 19 years. "No Country for Old Men" won both last year, but the orgs split during the three previous years as the PGA opted for "Little Miss Sunshine," "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Aviator" while Academy voters chose "The Departed," "Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby."
More than three-quarters of the PGA nominations have also subsequently secured Oscar mentions for picture. In addition to "No Country," both orgs tapped "Juno," "Michael Clayton" and "There Will Be Blood" last year while the PGA opted for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Acad selected "Atonement."
The producing team of Jinks and Cohen won the PGA Award and the Oscar for "American Beauty" in 2000. Grazer won it in 1996 for "Apollo 13."
The PGA's selections of accredited producers have been used by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences over the past two years as guidelines in determining the nominated producers in the Oscars' picture category. The Academy currently has 462 voting members in its producers branch out of 5,810 total members.
And the nominees are:
The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
"The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas
"Frost/Nixon," Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
"Milk," Dan Jinks & Bruce Cohen
"Slumdog Millionaire," Christian Colson
The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
"Man On Wire," Simon Chinn
"Standard Operating Procedure," Julie Bilson Ahlberg, Errol Morris
"Trouble The Water," Carl Deal, Tia Lessin
The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
"Bolt," Clark Spencer
"Kung Fu Panda," Melissa Cobb
"Wall-E," Jim Morris
The Cinematographers Nominate The Dark Knight
Source:ASC
ASC, the American Society of Cinematographers, has named the cinematographers who will vie for their Outstanding Achievement Award. The Dark Knight's Wally Pfister is included:
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC (Revolutionary Road and The Reader), Anthony Dod Mantle, BSC (Slumdog Millionaire), Chris Menges, BSC (The Reader), Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) and Wally Pfister, ASC (The Dark Knight) are the finalists in the feature film category of the 23rd Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards competition. The recipient will be named during the awards celebration here at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on February 15.
"This annual celebration is our way of letting our colleagues from around the world know that their peers in the ASC recognize their inherent visual talent and spirited ability to get compelling stories on the screen in this collaborative art form," says ASC President Daryn Okada. "We also hope this celebration inspires generations of filmmakers to follow their dreams."
These are the eighth and ninth nominations for Deakins who earned top honors in 1995 for The Shawshank Redemption and in 2002 for The Man Who Wasn't There. It's the fourth nomination for Menges, the second for Pfister, and the first for Dod Mantle and Miranda.
"Artful cinematography is generally meant to be transparent to audiences but there are countless visual nuances that help to create a sense of time and place, while evoking emotional responses that are in tune with the intentions of the actors and directors," says ASC Awards Committee Chairman Michael Goi, ASC. "In the opinion of their peers, who considered hundreds of movies, these five extraordinarily talented individuals have set the contemporary standard for artful cinematography in a very competitive field."
Hollywood writers nominate best film scripts
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood screenwriters on Wednesday named nominees for 2008's best film scripts with a few surprises among the movies vying for honors ahead of the industry's highest awards -- the Oscars in February.
The Writers Guild of America nominated for best original screenplay "Milk," written by Dustin Lance Black and telling of the life of slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk , along with Robert Siegel 's " The Wrestler ," which looks at the life of a faded sports star.
Those writers will be joined by veteran Woody Allen with romantic comedy " Vicky Cristina Barcelona ," brothers Joel and Ethan Coen for another comedy, " Burn After Reading ," and Tom McCarthy with immigration tale "The Visitor."
In the best adapted screenplay category, the Writers Guild nominated Eric Roth for " The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ," about a man who ages backward, John Patrick Shanley with sex abuse drama "Doubt" and Simon Beaufoy for " Slumdog Millionaire ," which tells of a young Indian man who competes to win a fortune on a television game show.
Joining those film writers in the adapted screenplay group are brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan for their Batman movie, " The Dark Knight ," and Peter Morgan with "Frost/Nixon," which recounts the interviews by British TV host David Frost of disgraced U.S. President Richard Nixon.
Nominees for awards from the Writers Guild often provide industry watchers with clues as to which films will compete for Oscars, the world's top movie honors, because many guild members also belong to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , which gives out the Oscars.
Next on the list guild nominations will be the Directors Guild of America with its honors for film direction .
While several Writers Guild-nominated movies such as "Milk," "Slumdog" and "Benjamin Button" have enjoyed high profiles in early critical and other honors, "Burn After Reading," and "The Visitor" have stayed mostly out of the race.
Writers Guild nods could cause Academy voters to give those two a second look. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 22.
In addition to best original and adapted screenplay, the Writers Guild also named nominees for best documentary writing. Competing in that arena will be Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker for " Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story ," Alex Gibney with " Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson ," Brett Morgen for "Chicago 10," Johnny O'Hara for "Fuel" and Ari Folman with " Waltz with Bashir ."
The Writers Guild Awards will be given out on February 7 in Los Angeles. The Oscars are given out on February 22.
DGA Nominations
David Fincher, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Danny Boyle, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Christopher Nolan, THE DARK KNIGHT
Ron Howard, FROST/NIXON
Gus Van Sant, MILK
everyone seems to be making insanely boring choices this year...
Quote from: Alexandro on January 08, 2009, 09:43:19 PM
everyone seems to be making insanely boring choices shitty movies this year...
Quote from: Alexandro on January 08, 2009, 09:43:19 PM
everyone seems to be making insanely boring choices this year...
i totally agree. slumdog and curious case are just cop-outs. as is frost to a lesser degree, but moreso when you think about what else could be there.
BAFTA 2009 NOMINATIONS
BEST FILM
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
FROST/NIXON – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
MILK – Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
THE READER – Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
HUNGER – Laura Hastings-Smith, Robin Gutch, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
IN BRUGES – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
MAMMA MIA! – Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Phyllida Lloyd, Catherine Johnson
MAN ON WIRE – Simon Chinn, James Marsh
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
SIMON CHINN (Producer) – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER (Producer) – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS (Writer) – Son of Rambow
STEVE McQUEEN (Director/Writer) – Hunger
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS, ROY BOULTER (Producers) – Of Time And The City
DIRECTOR
CHANGELING – Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – David Fincher
FROST/NIXON – Ron Howard
THE READER – Stephen Daldry
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Danny Boyle
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BURN AFTER READING – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CHANGELING – J. Michael Straczynski
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Philippe Claudel
IN BRUGES – Martin McDonagh
MILK – Dustin Lance Black
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON – Peter Morgan
THE READER – David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Justin Haythe
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Simon Beaufoy
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX – Bernard Eichinger, Uli Edel
GOMORRAH – Domenico Procacci, Matteo Garrone
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Yves Marmion, Philippe Claudel
PERSEPOLIS – Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Parannaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Yael Nahl Ieli, Ari Folman
ANIMATED FILM
PERSEPOLIS – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Parannaud
WALL•E – Andrew Stanton
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Ari Folman
LEADING ACTOR
FRANK LANGELLA – Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL – Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN – Milk
BRAD PITT – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
MICKEY ROURKE – The Wrestler
LEADING ACTRESS
ANGELINA JOLIE – Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I've Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP – Doubt
KATE WINSLET – The Reader
KATE WINSLET – Revolutionary Road
SUPPORTING ACTOR
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON – In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Doubt
HEATH LEDGER – The Dark Knight
BRAD PITT – Burn After Reading
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS – Doubt
PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
FREIDA PINTO – Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON – Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI – The Wrestler
MUSIC
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Alexandre Desplat
THE DARK KNIGHT – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! – Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – A. R. Rahman
WALL•E – Thomas Newman
CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHANGELING – Tom Stern
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Claudio Miranda
THE DARK KNIGHT – Wally Pfister
THE READER – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Anthony Dod Mantle
EDITING **
CHANGELING – Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lee Smith
FROST/NIXON – Mike Hill, Dan Hanley
IN BRUGES – Jon Gregory
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Chris Dickens
**As there was a tie in this category there are six nominations
PRODUCTION DESIGN
CHANGELING – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
THE DARK KNIGHT – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Mark Digby, Michelle Day
COSTUME DESIGN
CHANGELING – Deborah Hopper
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jacqueline West
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lindy Hemming
THE DUCHESS – Michael O'Connor
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Albert Wolsky
SOUND
CHANGELING – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
SLUMDOG MILLIONARE – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
WALL•E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, – Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
THE DARK KNIGHT – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Pablo Helman
IRON MAN – Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug
MAKE UP & HAIR
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
THE DARK KNIGHT – Peter Robb-King
THE DUCHESS – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
FROST/NIXON – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
MILK – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White
SHORT ANIMATION
CODSWALLOP – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod
VARMINTS – Sue Goffe, Marc Craste
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH – Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker
SHORT FILM
KINGSLAND #1 THE DREAMER – Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni
LOVE YOU MORE – Caroline Harvey, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick Marber
RALPH – Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
SEPTEMBER – Stewart le Maréchal, Esther May Campbell
VOYAGE D'AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP) – Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis
THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
MICHAEL CERA
NOEL CLARKE
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
REBECCA HALL
TOBY KEBBELL
Myers' `Love Guru' proves endearing at Razzies
LOS ANGELES - Voters for 2008's worst movies love Mike Myers. They really love him.
Myers' comedy flop " The Love Guru" led the field Wednesday for the Razzies with seven nominations, among them worst picture and worst-acting slots for Myers, Jessica Alba , Verne Troyer and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley .
The number of nominations for "Love Guru" was appropriate given what a personal project it was for Myers, who not only starred but also co-wrote and produced the movie, said John Wilson, founder of the Razzies, an Oscar spoof that dishes out "dis-honors" for the lousiest stuff Hollywood dredged up the previous year.
"This is one of those auteur-of-the-awful situations," Wilson said. "I think people are tired of him in general. He hasn't really made a good movie in quite some time."
The other worst-picture contenders were " Disaster Movie " and " Meet the Spartans ," Hollywood spoofs that shared a nomination for a "badly beaten dead horse of a concept"; the fright flick " The Happening "; Paris Hilton 's romantic comedy bomb "The Hottie & the Nottie"; and the sword-and-sorcery fantasy " In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale ."
Razzie "winners" will be announced Feb. 21, the day before the Oscars .
Hilton had three nominations, worst actress and worst screen couple alongside her co-stars in "The Hottie & the Nottie," plus worst supporting actress for " Repo! The Genetic Opera ."
Eddie Murphy , named worst actor, supporting actor and supporting actress last year for multiple roles in " Norbit ," has two nominations this time, as worst actor and screen couple alongside himself for dual roles in his sci-fi comedy dud " Meet Dave ."
Cameron Diaz also picked up two Razzie nominations for the romance " What Happens in Vegas ," as worst actress and worst screen couple alongside co-star Ashton Kutcher .
Along with Kingsley, Oscar winner Al Pacino had a worst-actor nomination for his crime thrillers " 88 Minutes " and " Righteous Kill ."
The stars of the remake " The Women " — Annette Bening , Eva Mendes , Debra Messing , Jada Pinkett Smith and Meg Ryan — shared a worst-actress nomination. Joining them, Alba, Diaz and Hilton in the worst-actress category was Kate Hudson for " Fool's Gold " and " My Best Friend's Girl ."
Besides Murphy, Myers and Pacino, worst-actor nominees were Larry the Cable Guy for " Witless Protection " and Mark Wahlberg for "The Happening" and " Max Payne ."
" In the Name of the King " filmmaker Uwe Boll had three nominations for 2008 movies, worst director for that flick and "1968: Tunnel Rats" and "Postal," supporting actor for playing himself in "Postal" and screen couple alongside "any actor, camera or screenplay."
Boll — whose movies include such horror or action tales as " Bloodrayne ," " Alone in the Dark " and " House of the Dead " — also was selected by Razzies voters to receive a special prize for worst career achievement as "Germany's answer to Ed Wood," the legendary bad filmmaker responsible for " Plan 9 From Outer Space ."
"It's pretty insulting to Ed Wood . Although Wood didn't understand how to splice two frames together, there was a joy of incompetence in his work," Wilson said. "Uwe Boll's like our Meryl Streep . As long as he continues to work, he will get nominated, just like Meryl Streep does with those other awards."
`Slumdog Millionaire' snags top producer award
LOS ANGELES – "Slumdog Millionaire" scored the top award from the Producers Guild of America on Saturday, building more momentum for the rags-to-riches drama in the Oscar race for best picture.
The film, a gritty yet heartwarming drama about a game-show contestant from the slums of Mumbai, beat out "Milk," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight" and "Frost/Nixon."
Producer Christian Colson was honored with the Darryl F. Zanuck producer of the year award at the ceremony, held at the Hollywood Palladium, the latest Hollywood kudofest in the run-up to the Academy Awards next month.
"Slumdog Millionaire" swept up four Golden Globe awards earlier this month. Directed by Briton Danny Boyle and starring a cast of unknowns, the film is a leading contender for the Academy Award's best picture. It also snared Oscar nominations for best director and adapted screenplay.
In television, HBO series "John Adams" snagged the David L. Wolper producer of the year award for long-form TV while AMC's "Mad Men" took the prize for drama.
Two shows were repeat winners from last year. In the comedy TV category, "30 Rock" was honored, while "The Colbert Report" was lauded in live entertainment/competition TV.
In other categories, "Wall-E" won in animated motion pictures, "Man on Wire" in documentaries and CBS' "60 Minutes" in nonfiction television.
Career achievement awards were bestowed on producer Brian Grazer, actor/director/producer Ron Howard, actor/producer Michael Douglas and "The Sopranos" producer David Chase.
Complete list of winners of the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:
Movies:
_Cast: "Slumdog Millionaire."
_Actor in a leading role: Sean Penn, "Milk."
_Actress in a leading role: Meryl Streep, "Doubt."
_Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight."
_Supporting actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader."
_Stunt ensemble: "The Dark Knight."
Television:
_Drama series cast: "Mad Men."
_Actor in a drama series: Hugh Laurie, "House."
_Actress in a drama series: Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters."
_Comedy series cast: "30 Rock."
_Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock."
_Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, "30 Rock."
_Actor in a movie or miniseries: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams."
_Actress in a movie or miniseries: Laura Linney, "John Adams."
_Stunt ensemble: "Heroes."
Life Achievement: James Earl Jones.
Shit yeah. 30 Rock cleans up again.
Danny Boyle's `Slumdog Millionaire' wins DGA honor
LOS ANGELES – "Slumdog Millionaire" continued its rags-to-riches march through Hollywood's awards season as its filmmaker, Danny Boyle, won the top honor Saturday from the Directors Guild of America.
The win puts Boyle on the inside track for the same prize at the Academy Awards on Feb. 22, since the guild recipient almost always goes on to win the directing Oscar.
While "Slumdog Millionaire" started as an underdog that nearly went straight to DVD, it has emerged as the Oscar favorite. Audiences have embraced Boyle's tale of a poor boy rising to fame and fortune from the streets of Mumbai, and the film triumphed at the Golden Globes and Producers Guild of America Awards, while taking the prize for best ensemble cast from the Screen Actors Guild.
"Slumdog Millionaire" originally was to be released by Warner Independent, but its fate went into limbo after Warner Bros. closed down that arthouse banner. After a brief prospect of going right to DVD, the film found a theatrical home with Fox Searchlight, which has had success with such smaller films as "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Juno."
"I should start by curiously thanking Warner Bros. for actually having the grace to do the right thing, when I think it would have been a lot easier to do the wrong thing, and pass the film on to Fox Searchlight, who are an extraordinary bunch of people," Boyle said as he was introduced earlier in the night as one of the five nominees.
Backstage, Boyle joked about the fact that his award was presented by Joel and Ethan Coen, who won the prize a year ago for "No Country for Old Men."
"To step into the shoes of people like the Coen brothers, I mean, it's phenomenal, because I have, as I admitted in the earlier speech, I've stolen from them all my career," he said. "I mean in a naked and appalling way."
"The Office" won the top honor for television comedy, "The Wire" took the award for TV drama and "Recount" won for TV movie.
Paul Feig received the award for an installment of "The Office," whose competition included two episodes of "30 Rock," the series that has dominated at recent Hollywood honors such as the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
"We're in a real golden age of TV comedy, and I'm just happy to be part of it," Feig said backstage.
The drama series prize went to director Dan Attias for an episode from the final season of "The Wire," a far-reaching drama with a huge cast exploring police, criminals, courts, schools, politics, media and other facets of life in Baltimore.
"Austin Powers" and "Meet the Parents" director Jay Roach was the recipient for the election drama "Recount."
Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir" won the documentary award. The film, which is nominated in the foreign-language category at the Academy Awards, is director Folman's animated study of an Israeli soldier struggling to recall suppressed memories of his involvement in the war with Lebanon.
Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert was honored with an honorary life membership in the guild.
Michael Apted, the guild's president, noted that Ebert no longer can speak because of complications from thyroid cancer, but he told Ebert, "We're happy that it didn't stop you from writing about our work."
The ceremony featured recorded testimonials to Ebert from directors including Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.
"The motion picture is the art form I love above all others," Ebert said in a statement recorded via a synthetic computer voice with a British accent. "It is the symphony, and you are the conductors."
Among other guild winners:
• Reality programming: Tony Croll, "America's Next Top Model."
• Children's programs: Amy Schatz, "The Poetry Show."
• Daytime serials: Larry Carpenter, "One Life to Live."
Among Hollywood's many honors on the buildup to the Academy Awards, the Directors Guild prizes have one of the best track records for predicting eventual Oscar winners. Only six times in the guild awards' 60-year history has the winner failed to take home the directing Oscar.
"Slumdog", "Milk" win top screenwriting awards
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rags-to-riches romance "Slumdog Millionaire" furthered its winning streak in Hollywood's awards season on Saturday, earning best adapted screenplay for writer Simon Beaufoy from the Writers Guild of America.
"Milk," about slain, 1970s-era gay politician Harvey Milk , grabbed best original screenplay for Dustin Lance Black who gave an impassioned speech challenging the gay community to re-energize itself in the struggle for gay equality.
Black talked about how Milk's legacy inspired him to dream that one day his screenplay could be made into a film and reach as many people as it had with a message of change and hope.
"Big dreams are how change really happens," Black told the audience of film and television writers. "Join me in continuing this fight for civil rights."
But the night truly belonged to "Slumdog," which tells of a young Indian boy who competes for love and money on a TV game show. Together with the WGA's honor, it has now earned top awards from the other major Hollywood guilds and is the clear frontrunner for the best movie Oscar.
"Slumdog" was named best movie by the Producers Guild of America , Briton Danny Boyle was picked best director by the Directors Guild of America , and the movie's actors were judged best ensemble cast by the Screen Actors Guild .
The Oscars , given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on February 22, and many of the guild members also belong to the academy making their awards key indicators of winners of Academy Awards , the world's top film honors.
Beaufoy, however, was not on hand to accept his WGA trophy as he was traveling to London for another awards ceremony given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
In other top film awards given out Saturday by the WGA, Israeli war film " Waltz with Bashir " was named best documentary.
Major television awards went to " Mad Men ," whose writers won for best TV drama, and to "30 Rock," which took home the WGA trophy for best TV comedy.
BAFTA 2009 WINNERS.
Best Film
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year
Man on Wire (2008)
Best Actor
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)
Best Actress
Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)
Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Best Screenplay (Original)
In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh
Best Screenplay (Adapted)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy
Best Cinematography
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle
Best Editing
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens
Best Production Design
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
Best Costume Design
The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor
Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman
Best Make Up/Hair
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Best Sound
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Best Film not in the English Language
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (2008)
Best Animated Feature Film
WALL·E (2008)
Orange Rising Star Award
Noel Clarke
Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer
Steve McQueen for Hunger (2008/I)(Director/Writer)
Best Short Animation
Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' (2008) (TV)
Best Short Film
September (2008)
Cinematographers honor 'Slumdog'
Anthony Dod Mantle wins big at ASC Awards
Source: Variety
"Slumdog Millionaire" continued its winning ways on Sunday night when the American Society of Cinematographers awarded the film's d.p., Anthony Dod Mantle its feature film prize at the 23rd Annual ASC Awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. The award follows top honors bestowed on "Slumdog" by SAG, DGA, PGA, WGA and the Art Directors Guild.
The Brit d.p. -- an Oscar nominee whose largely hand-held work consisted of a combination of digital and 35 mm imagery -- also has won cinematography kudos from BAFTA and Camerimage, the Polish film fest devoted to the art of cinematography.
In television, Nelson Cragg won the episodic TV award for his work on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ("For Gedda"), while David Stockton took home the TV movie/miniseries/pilot award for "Eleventh Hour." Both shows air on CBS.
The evening also included a slew of honorary laurels, including the ASC Board of Governors Award presented to "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan; the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award to Jack Green, best known for his d.p. work with Clint Eastwood, who presented the award; the ASC International Achievement Award to Aussie lenser Donald McAlpine ("Romeo + Juliet," "Moulin Rouge!"); the ASC Career Achievement in Television Award to Robert Liu ("Desperate Housewives"); and the ASC Presidents Award to Isidore Mankofsky.
Other presenters included actors Amy Adams and Simon Baker, director Paul Mazursky and d.p. Wally Pfister, who was also a nominee for his work on "The Dark Knight."
`Wrestler' wins top indie honors at Spirit Awards
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The sports comeback tale "The Wrestler" was picked as best picture Saturday at the Spirit Awards honoring independent film and won two other prizes, including best actor for Mickey Rourke.
A tuneup for the Academy Awards on Sunday, the Spirit Awards featured several winners also up for Oscars, including three of the four acting choices — Rourke, best-actress recipient Melissa Leo for "Frozen River" and supporting-actress pick Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
Rourke gave a prolonged, hilarious, expletive-laden acceptance speech, dedicating the award to Loki, his beloved Chihuahua that died six days earlier, and thanking everyone from his director, Darren Aronofsky, to the wrestling community. He mentioned that he had just talked with the Santa Monica police department, which "gave me a bed to sleep in 10 years ago," when Rourke was in the midst of the bad-boy behavior that made him a Hollywood has-been until his comeback in recent years with films such as "Sin City" and "The Wrestler."
The film stars Rourke as a washed-up former star with a last shot at glory in the ring. It also took the cinematography award for Maryse Alberti. The crowd gave Rourke a standing ovation and he received hugs and backslaps from audience members as he headed to the stage.
"I didn't realize how many closet Mickey Rourke fans there were," Aronofsky said backstage. "That's been the biggest surprise of the whole trip."
Momentarily forgetting co-star Marisa Tomei's name, Rourke later complimented her for her role as a stripper in "The Wrestler," which earned her a supporting-actress Oscar nomination.
"Not many girls can climb the pole," Rourke said. "She climbed the pole, and she did it well."
Right after Rourke's speech, Tom McCarthy won the best-director award for the immigrant drama "The Visitor."
"I feel like we should just stop the show after Mickey, because who could follow that, really?" McCarthy said.
Leo gave a whoop as she took the stage to collect her prize for "Frozen River," which got its start a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the top dramatic honor. She stars as a destitute mother who stumbles into the immigrant-smuggling business with a Mohawk Indian woman along the U.S.-Canada border.
"You are my people. You know you are my people," Leo told the independent-cinema crowd at the awards luncheon in a tent along the Santa Monica beach. "`Frozen River' is a truly independent film."
The supporting honors went to Cruz as a combustible artist in a three-way relationship with her ex-husband and an American woman in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and James Franco as a lover of slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant's "Milk."
Allen won the screenplay honor for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," his romance that follows the affairs of two American women in Spain.
Cruz thanked Allen "just for letting me be around him. ... He's really the symbol of independence in our industry."
True to his neurotic nature, Allen abruptly departed the set on a pivotal day, when Cruz was to shoot a steamy kissing scene with Scarlett Johansson, Cruz said. Allen had found a freckle on his hand and wanted a dermatologist to examine it, she said.
"He just left, and I love him for that," Cruz said.
Franco said he was a longtime fan of Van Sant's films and signed on because of the talent involved with "Milk."
"When I heard this thing was happening with probably my favorite actor, Sean Penn, and it was such an important story, that was enough for me," said Franco, who added thanks to "everyone that was part of Harvey's life."
"Milk" also received the award for best first screenplay for Dustin Lance Black. The best first feature prize went to "Synecdoche, New York," the directing debut of Charlie Kaufman, who won a screenwriting Oscar for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
"Synecdoche," a sprawling story of a theater director's attempt to re-create New York City on massive stages, also received the Robert Altman Award, given to a film's director, casting director and ensemble cast for following in the spirit of the late maverick filmmaker.
The documentary winner was James Marsh's "Man on Wire," about tightrope walker Philippe Petit and his 1974 mission to walk a rope between the World Trade Center towers. "Man on Wire" is favored to win the documentary Oscar, as well.
Another Oscar contender, the French school drama "The Class," took the foreign film honor.
Presented by the cinema group Film Independent, the Spirit Awards honor movies that cost less than $20 million to make, with a significant part of their budget originating from outside the Hollywood studio system. Other criteria for nominations include films' originality and provocative subject matter.
Best Feature
The Wrestler
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Thomas McCarthy, The Visitor
Best First Feature
Synecdoche, New York
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Female Lead
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Best Male Lead
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, Milk
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, The Wrestler
Best Documentary
Man on Wire
Director: James Marsh
Best Foreign Film
The Class (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Synecdoche, New York
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Lynn Shelton, My Effortless Brilliance
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, The Order of Myths
Producers Award
Heather Rae, Frozen River and Ibid
Well deserved, most of them.
Also Mike Myers won worst actor and worst movie at the Razzies. Very well deserved.
I'm surprised there hasn't been a bigger uproar around here because Kung Fu Panda beat Walle at the annies...
Mickey Rourke's Spirit Award acceptance speech (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og3tN7P6oKI)
2009 MTV Movie Awards Nominations Announced
MTV announced the nominees for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards this morning. The full announcement follows:
The hit films "Twilight" and "Slumdog Millionaire" get ready to battle it out as MTV: Music Television announces this year's final nominees for the "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS." Pitting Hollywood vampires against the Mumbai slums, the movies' rabid fans proved their loyalty as they sent both flicks to the head of the cinematic pack with each film receiving nominations in six award categories including "BEST MOVIE," "BEST KISS" and "BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE MALE."
MTV will up the cinematic fun quotient this year by debuting the two new categories "BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE" and "BEST WTF MOMENT." Fans will get the chance to vote on such movie soundtrack hits as "The Climb" from "Hannah Montana: The Movie" as well as pick this year's most jaw-dropping "WTF" movie moment that left audiences speechless such as the naked break-up scene in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." The 18th annual awards show will be executive produced by Emmy Award® winning producer Mark Burnett. Hosted by Andy Samberg, the "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" will be broadcast LIVE from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA on Sunday, May 31st at 9p.m./8p.m. C.
"This is the first year we've put the nominee decisions in the hands of our audience. From 'Twilight' to 'Slumdog' -- this year's ceremony belongs to our most avid movie fans," said Van Toffler, President, MTV Networks Music, Logo and Films Group. "Our viewers' unending enthusiasm for the movies they love is why we've given them the platform to select the nominees for this year's show."
The "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" marks the first year in which the final nominees were decided on by the fans. From May 4 - May 27, viewers can visit MovieAwards.MTV.com (www.MovieAwards.MTV.com) to vote for their favorite film moments and actors but the category of "BEST MOVIE" will be a fight to the end as voting for favorite film of the year will remain open throughout the LIVE show. MovieAwards.MTV.com is the official site for the "MTV MOVIE AWARDS" where fans can visit to vote and stay to check out show promos starring Andy Samberg and some of today's hottest celebs, get up-to-date info and watch MTV News nominee interviews. During the voting window fans can also head over to facebook.com/mtv, myspace.com/mtv, Flixster and IMDB.com for a special "Movie Awards" social module that will enable them to cast their votes, take polls, watch promo videos, get special news and tweets about the show and special links to "Movie Awards" contests.
Nominees for the "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" are:
BEST MOVIE (voting stays live throughout the 2009 Movie Awards ceremony)
* The Dark Knight
o Director: Christopher Nolan, Producers: Charles Roven and Emma Thomas (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* High School Musical 3: Senior Year
o Director: Kenny Ortega, Producers: Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Iron Man
o Director: Jon Favreau, Producers: Avi Arad and Kevin Feige (Paramount Pictures)
* Slumdog Millionaire
o Director: Danny Boyle, Producer: Christian Colson (Fox Searchlight)
* Twilight
o Director: Catherine Hardwicke, Producers: Wyck Godfrey, Greg Mooradian and Mark Morgan (Summit Entertainment)
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
* Angelina Jolie - Wanted (Universal Pictures)
* Anne Hathaway - Bride Wars (20th Century Fox)
* Kate Winslet - The Reader (The Weinstein Company)
* Kristen Stewart - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount Pictures)
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
* Christian Bale - The Dark Knight (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man (Paramount Pictures)
* Shia LaBeouf - Eagle Eye (DreamWorks SKG/ Paramount Pictures)
* Vin Diesel - Fast & Furious (Universal Pictures)
* Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE FEMALE
* Amanda Seyfried - Mamma Mia! (Universal Pictures)
* Ashley Tisdale - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Freida Pinto - Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* Miley Cyrus - Hannah Montana: The Movie (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Vanessa Hudgens - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Kat Dennings - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (Columbia Pictures)
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE MALE
* Robert Pattinson - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Taylor Lautner - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Ben Barnes - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Walt Disney Pictures)
* Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* Bobb'e J. Thompson - Role Models (Universal Pictures)
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
* Amy Poehler - Baby Mama (Universal Pictures)
* Anna Faris - The House Bunny (Columbia Pictures)
* James Franco - Pineapple Express (Columbia Pictures)
* Jim Carrey - Yes Man (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Steve Carell - Get Smart (Warner Bros. Pictures)
BEST VILLAIN
* Derek Mears - Friday The 13th (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Dwayne Johnson - Get Smart (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Johnathon Schaech - Prom Night (Screen Gems)
* Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal Pictures)
BEST FIGHT
* Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson - Bride Wars (20th Century Fox)
* Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight (Warner Bros. Pictures)
* Ron Perlman vs. Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Universal Pictures)
* Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Seth Rogen and James Franco vs. Danny McBride - Pineapple Express (Columbia Pictures)
BEST KISS
* Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy - Wanted (Universal Pictures)
* Freida Pinto and Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* James Franco and Sean Penn - Milk (Focus Features)
* Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson - Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
* Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon - I Love You, Man (Paramount Pictures)
* Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures)
BEST WTF MOMENT (New Category)
* Amy Poehler - Baby Mama, Peeing In the Sink (Universal Pictures)
* Angelina Jolie - Wanted, Curved Bullet Kill (Universal Pictures)
* Ayush Mahesh Khedekar - Slumdog Millionaire, Jumping in the Poop Shed (Fox Searchlight)
* Ben Stiller - Tropic Thunder, Tasting the Decapitated Head (DreamWorks SKG/ Paramount Pictures)
* Jason Segel and Kristen Bell - Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Naked Break-Up (Universal Pictures)
BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE (New Category)
* "Jai Ho" - AR Raham, Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)
* "The Wrestler" - Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight)
* "The Climb" - Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie (Walt Disney Pictures)
* "Decode" - Paramore, Twilight (Summit Entertainment)
2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS: Total Number of Combined Category Nominations
Twilight 7
Slumdog Millionaire 6
High School Musical 3: Senior Year 5
The Dark Knight 4
Wanted 3
Baby Mama 2
Bride Wars 2
Get Smart 2
Hannah Montana: The Movie 2
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army 2
Iron Man 2
Pineapple Express 2
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 1
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button 1
Eagle Eye 1
Fast & Furious 1
Forgetting Sarah Marshall 1
Friday The 13th 1
The House Bunny 1
I Love You, Man 1
Mamma Mia! 1
Milk 1
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist 1
Prom Night 1
The Reader 1
Role Models 1
Tropic Thunder 1
The Wrestler 1
Yes Man 1
Wow. Cam Gigandet, whom I worked with on a short film back in 2004, is poised to win back-to-back Best Fight awards. Crazy world.
Springsteen is nominated for an MTV award but not an Oscar......Hmmmmm.......