Monologue - It's War! Or is It?

Jose here.



What better way to kick start Oscar week than with a call to battle by one of the greatest performances of all time? George C. Scott as Gen. George S. Patton Jr.

When Patton begins, the General reminds his soldiers that,

No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country.

After taking hold of your attention with this impressive statement he continues affirming that

Americans, traditionally, love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle.

When you were kids you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, big league ball player, the toughest boxer. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.

Seen under a modern perspective the speech might come off as looking either awe inspiring or psychotic. Those very words very well could represent the moral ambiguity some think is lacking at the center of this year's The Hurt Locker.
The effect after all is the same; you either agree or disagree.

Even if the film is set in WWII, the speech has become a timeless symbol of pro and anti war movements. At the time of its original release this sequence cause such a stir that soldiers-home from Vietnam-would stand up to attention and salute the screen as Scott addressed them and you need do nothing more than to browse YouTube to see how it's deformed, reshaped and parodied by fans who use it to reference the Middle East conflict, Obama's political campaign and self reflections on the state of the American psyche.

Towards the end of the speech though we are reminded that this man was above all a brilliant leader disguised as a reckless army General.

He finishes by saying:

Alright, now you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel. Oh... I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere.

Without the need of being too obvious he reveals his humanity and compassion towards the troops without hiding his demigod-ness within the army.

Scott rightfully won the Academy Award for Best actor, in a slightly controversial Oscar win (he used to call the Oscars a "meat parade") and entering into the days leading to the big battle, it's nice to put everything in perspective.

There are far too many problems in the world, to take a bunch of movie awards we rarely agree with, so seriously. Right?
So why not just breathe and bash in their ability to entertain us, they have always succeeded at it.

At ease.

Curio: Pick Your Cupcake

Alexa from Pop Elegantiarum here. Anyone who follows my blog knows that I'm all about pop culture sweets, and cupcakes are on top of the list. There's nothing better than a great movie cupcake on Oscar night, and I still haven't come up with a plan on what to bake for this year's party. Blue Avatar treats? Hurt Locker bomb component cakes? By way of inspiration, here are a few of my past film-themed favorites.

I've been meaning to replicate Deidre Jean's Fargo wood chipper cupcakes for some time now, but I'm nervous about sickening my guests:


A bit more enticing are my Sugar Magnolias. I can tell you from experience that no one turns down a Dolly Parton red velvet cupcake:


For Oscar night, instead of choosing one film maybe I could follow Leigh-Anne Dennison's example: she created these movie-treat sprinkled, poster-topped cakes for 2008's awards:


For those of you in New York with cash to spare, Eleni's bakery makes fantastic Oscar night treats. Check out last year's Oscar cupcakes:


This year, Eleni's is making equally fantastic (and pricey) best actress and actor cookies:


Enjoy! Now I'm off to figure out how to make wires and detonators out of fondant...

Olympian (Almost)

Overhearing conversations in my hotel, glancing at the headlines on papers and listening to the television commentary gives me the sense that all anyone cares about during the Olympics are record breakers like Michael Phelps. As for myself, I'm not winner focused. I blame that on my ancient obsession with Oscars. I'm more fascinated by the nomination process than who wins. It's also why when I started my online punditry many years ago (many many many many years ago. sheesh I'm Gandalf) I passed out virtual gold, silver and bronze medals rather than a single trophy. That's commonplace around the blogosphere now but I trail blazed that Olympic take on movie awards.

This is all a long way of saying that I get really bored with what I view as bad sportsmen statements that you hear all during the games "he/she won't be happy with a silver medal!" as if being second best in the entire world is something to be ashamed of. Maybe I just don't have enough of a competitive spirit but I watch these games and I get bored with the winners (Michael Phelps ...again? There are so many great swimmers) just like I get bored with multiple repeat Emmy winners or regular Oscar nominees who don't deserve shortlisting every single time. Instead, I feel so much for the Olympic "losers". They are amazing amazing athletes. Imagine being among the very best in the world at any one thing? It's just... gah! What a thrill it should be. And yet we focus only on the gold.

So here's to all the fourth place finishers in Olympic events and here's to anyone who ever lost an Oscar! And please raise your glass to all the people who were ever great at anything. And even all the people who were ever almost great. Working at being nearly great is better than most people manage, don't you think? So here's to all the Olympians from everywhere and the alternates, too.

And, finally, here's to Geena Davis !


She's the only famous actress I know of who was also nearly an Olympian. It's my favorite bit of Olympic sports trivia. "Thelma" tried out for the US archery team way back in 1999 but didn't make the finals. She did win the Oscar. She also got to have famous pretend sex with Brad Pitt. But then her movie career dried up long before anyone expected it would. The moral of this story is that you really can't win them all. But win or lose, be game.
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The Oscars as a Starting Point

I've seen every Best Picture winner, even the ones not available on DVD. I've seen them on late night tv, cable, vhs, dvd, etc. Whatever format, whatever time, I've made sure over the years that I saw each one. And with few exceptions, I've seen just about all of the nominees. Oh, and as a point of useless trivia, I can name the Best Picture winners, in order of course, in less than a minute. It was a lot easier when I was a kid and there were thirty or so less but I can still reel them off in just under sixty seconds. Why? I'm obsessed that's why.

When I was but a tyke I started reading the encyclopedias my parents had and when I came to the "Motion Picture" entry I found my true love. But what really drew me in was the last part of the entry where they listed the Oscar winners through the years. Being a normal kid I was enthralled with Star Wars and was fascinated to see Alec Guinness, Obi-Wan Kenobi, listed in the Oscar winners for some movie called The Bridge on the River Kwai. I knew I had to see it. And that's when it started. That's when the obsession with seeing all the Oscar winners started.

Are the Best Picture winners the best movies of all time or even their respective years? No, of course not. But before the days of A.F.I lists and movie magazine top 100 polls the Oscars provided a template for a young cinephile to start seeing some of the most talked about and celebrated films in Hollywood history. Seeing all of them gave one then, and still does, a fairly good starting point for the Hollywood essentials, whether or not they're great being beside the point. The winners like Wings, All Quiet on the Western Front, It Happened One Night, Gone With The Wind, Rebecca, Casablanca, The Lost Weekend, The Best Years of Our Lives, All About Eve, An American in Paris, etc give one a good starting point for seeing some real classics.

And then there are the losing nominees. Endless discussions about The Thin Man, Grand Illusion, Wuthering Heights, Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons right up through recent years gets people, and definitely young cinephiles, discussing the true merit and artistic achievement of film and what should or shouldn't be considered the best.

All of these things make the Oscars worthwhile in my book because they bring the year, and the discussion of film, to a culminating point that wouldn't exist without them. But the real reason, the big reason, the overriding reason I love the Oscars and value their existence is the effect they have on the studios. Folks, if it wasn't for the Oscars there would be nothing but summer blockbusters all year long. Don't get me wrong, I love blockbusters but I want some more adult fare every now and then too and the studios are all about two things: Who makes the most money and who has the most prestige. Without the Oscars they wouldn't make distribution deals with independent productions, foreign productions and finance smaller more intimate dramas. You think Brokeback Mountain got backed because the studios thought they'd make a fortune? Hell no! It was backed because they wanted nominations and awards and prestige.

So all hail Oscar! It fires the flame of young cinephiles, fuels the existing flame for film fans everywhere and provides a necessary quality check for the studios. I wouldn't get rid of them for an instant. I'm glad they're here.

Oscar the Grouch

Rob here. As long as we're thinking about The Oscars (and when aren't we?), and are at the cusp of awards season I thought I'd pop out a few thoughts here. More and more I'm starting to dislike The Oscars.

Don't get me wrong, I still watch. But now more than ever, movies are forever defined by The Academy Awards. Do we want to see upcoming movies like Revolutionary Road and Milk because they look great or to see how they fit into the upcoming Oscar race. Take a movie like Brokeback Mountain. It is forever defined as the movie that lost to Crash. The actual quality and historical significance of the movie is almost a footnote.

And who do we blame for this? The studios who saw a marketing opening and cater all of their quality films to the Oscars? The oodles of associations who've jumped onto the awards bandwagon thus making Oscar season into a marathon? Ourselves? When we watch a trailer is our curious response, "will it be good?" or "will it be nominated?" When we watch a movie do we consider more whether a performance qualifies for our personal Oscars or how well it actually contributes to the experience of the film?

I know I do these things. I can tell you my Best Whatever winners for each year. I can give you my personal predictions for this year. I get wrapped up in it. But each time I hear a lazy critic describe a great performance as Oscar-worthy, each time a film friend of mine watches an old movie and gives me their "nominations" in lieu of any real opinion, I shudder a little more and more.

I wonder what a year would be like without the Oscars. Hypothetically, if all the releases stayed the same but without The Academy Awards? How would we, collectively react to all of the years movies without caring that they'd be vying for the title of "best"? Would it make things better? Maybe not, but I doubt it could hurt.

Later Jonathan will present the pro-Oscar argument (in the pursuit of being, you know, fair and balanced)

Oscar Hangover

Part 1 of 2, Oscar Review
a rant about the way the media will continue to treat Oscar's declining ratings

It began with a hangover. Don't judge. Last night was Oscar night, who didn't have one too many? Something had to keep me going through the most conservative fashion show I can recall ever seeing on Hollywood's High Holy Night. The theme was either 'risk free" or they were all wearing black in mourning for Heath Ledger. But if so, I think it a poor tribute. He would have liked a spot of color. I mean, you saw the socks he wore to the Berlin Festival last year, right? You saw Michelle Williams dress on Brokeback night. This was not a conservative star and color is good. So, I frantically typed for 5 hours straight. What's wrong with me? I can't win an award for doing this. No shiny gold men for me. Why these enormous tasks I set myself? The hangover proved short lived and I trotted off to the other job... running a little late due to things like ironing, trying to find my keys, obsessing about the color of Tilda Swinton's eyes; you know, daily routines.

For what it's worth, they're very very green.

READ THE REST ... for anger-inducing misleading memes about Oscar's obscure favorites and the endless (context free!) desire the press seems to have to make the Oscars more like the People's Choice Awards.
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Red Carpet Timelines & Oscar Linkage

Penélope Cruz


teflon goddess Nicole Kidman


Cameron Diaz


the perennial Cate Blanchett


last minute Oscar links
Style has a great feature on "fantasy" Oscar dresses for tonight's nominees
Nicks Flick Picks is finally back for the best night of the year
StinkyLulu Supporting Actress '07 Smackdown -five blog voices on the most unpredictable category this year
DListed Lindsay Lohan is now an award winning actress. But it's not the Oscar
Boy Culture hopes for a Blood upset and posts some fun No Country illustrations
Los Angeles Times on why a Michael Clayton win would be good for Hollywood

and...

New York Times has a very cool metrix of the year's box office with Oscar nominees in bold. That's some fascinating graphing that details the box office pull of certain times of years, Oscar bumps, and staying power (or not) of releases.

Back to the red carpet
Before I start live blogging (somewhere between 6:30 PM EST) I thought we should look to the person who will probably wear the weirdest, best or most swandress like fashion tonight. I can't recall if tonight's most deserving supporting actress nominee Tilda Swinton has ever made it to the Oscars before, but here are some things she has worn at various red carpet events.


* the asterisked outfit was not at a red carpet event but I included it because it's exactly what she was wearing the night I stood right next to her at a MoMA event here in NYC ~definitely in my all time favorite unexpected celebrity sightings list.
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I Know Who Linked / Featured Me

Thompson on Hollywood reports from the Oscar Nominee Luncheon
Awards Daily The "Poscars" return. Love you Susan!
<-- StinkyLulu investigates Razzie nominee Julia Ormond's "performance" in I Know Who Killed Me
I Watch Stuff on the Jim Henson bio
Buzz Sugar starring in an artist biopic Big Eyes. See! biopics are a deadly epidemic. They continue to multiply... which is so weird since they're rarely truly successful. What motivates Hollywood to make them? Is it only the Oscar appeal?
Jew Eat Yet? remembers character actress extraordinaire, Thelma Ritter
Little Gold Men could Michael Clayton win the screenplay Oscar?
Low Resolution is also digging into Tony Gilroy's story
MTV Movies Blog Taraji P Henson is Brad Pitts mama!
Topless Robot Ten Star Wars toys that look like celebrities. Really fun (thx, Defamer)

and...
A couple of recent freelance gigs that I wrote are up at Television Without Pity -it's for their Oscar Special. The first is a piece on "Egregious Oversights" --hardly definitive, just a dozen things that I happen to deeply dig that Oscar kicked to the curb. Do you love them too? I really wanted to include Christian Bale in American Psycho and Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands but I ran out of space (and jokes).

The second is a surreal peak into the Oscar party planner's imagination, offering you three "theme party templates" for your big night. I hope you'll click on over and read them. And, god help us all, if you use any of the Oscar Party suggestions. PLEASE take photos and send them in right here. You'll have a wild night.

Miyoshi Umeki (1929-2007)

Miyoshi Umeki, the first (and only) Asian actress to win an Oscar died last week from cancer. Her Oscar arrived once she played opposite Marlon Brando in Sayonara (1957) --Brando was a good luck Oscar charm for a lot of other actors wasn't he? Miyoshi won her Oscar in late March and was on the cover of TIME for her work in Broadway's Flower Drum Song by December. Quite a year she had in '58, huh?

Discussions of Oscar and ethnicity go way back but they usually focus, rather simplistically, on the black & white topic. Since Umeki's Oscar win I believe only four actresses of Asian descent have made the Oscar shortlist: Shohreh Aghdashloo (03), The Tilly sisters (a decade apart in 85 and 94), and Rinko Kikuchi just last year. And they're all in the supporting category [src]

There've been more men. But unless I'm forgetting someone and apart from arguably Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) no major Asian movie stars have ever been nominated for an Oscar. Most of the nominees have not been particularly famous prior to their honors. In other words there's no Tony Leungs, Gong Lis, Toshirô Mifunes, Aishwarya Rais or Maggie Cheungs in Oscar's history book.

Supporting Oscar Hierarchy and Dianne Wiest

Today is the last Sunday in the month. Which means StinkyLulu is holding another "supporting actress smackdown" (this time it's for 1971: Ann-Margret displays her Carnal Knolwedge, Burstyn & Leachman attend The Last Picture Show, Margaret Leighton Gos Between and the 70s awesomeness sometimes referred to as "Barbara Harris" round out the pack. I just finished reading it. Yum Yum.

I'm sure that Stinky didn't like that the last post was Lead Actresses only --no edges allowed! So, for comparisons sake, here's your top 7 All Time Oscar Supporting Actress Favorites.


o1. Thelma Ritter (50, 51, 52, 53, 59, 62) six nominations and she never won :(
02. There's a six-way tie beneath her, all @ 4 nominations each. You have to start with...
Maggie Smith (65, 78, 86, 01) Could this double winner topple Ritter's supporting nomination record? She's 72 years-old but still makes a movie each year. She's keeping company with...
Ethel Barrymore (44, 46, 47, 49) Drew's Great Aunt
Lee Grant (51, 70, 75, 76)
Agnes Moorehead (42, 44, 48, 64)
Geraldine Page (53, 66, 72, 84) more on Page soon
Maureen Stapleton (58, 70, 78, 81)

Beyond that top tier, 11 women are tied including four who are still working: Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, and Frances McDormand. The latter two both still get baity roles, the former is charging towards another Emmy on Damages...

A Question/Rant of Utmost Importance
...which brings me to Dianne Wiest. I'm completely nutso for the best squinty-eyed actress ever. I just don't understand why all the high profile supporting roles have escaped her since she won her second Oscar. Think on this for a moment: Has any other double Oscar winner (male or female) won for performances as diverse as the ones she served up in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Bullets Over Broadway (1994)? Aside from the fact that they're both Woody Allen projects, what connects those women? To underline her range even further let's also point out that they're very different women than Wiest's standard typecast role 'the concerned mom' which she's played dozens of times, Parenthood (1989, Oscar nominated) and Edward Scissorhands (1990) being the most famous variations and they're also very different than the women she played in other Woody Allen pictures.

Please to explain. Someone? Anyone? I don't think it's hyperbole to say that she's one of the best actors on the planet. Why is nobody giving her anything interesting to act? Where is Woody? Dump Scarlett and write something for Dianne again already. Shouldn't this woman be considered for meaty stuff like what Dench, Burstyn, Blethyn, McDormand or Bates occassionally get? Argh!

Oscar's Best Actress Hierarchy. A Discussion

I'm psyching myself up for Fall pre-Oscar season. Join me. You know how it goes once September hits. The prestige movies arrive and virtually everything from trailers to talk shows to box office numbers work as viral "for your consideration" ads. The new banner up top, which I've broken into two for discussion purposes here, shows in descending order the women with the most "Best Actress" nominations. No supporting nominations were included in the totals. These are Oscar's favorite leading ladies ranked. And this, is (duh) my favorite category.


01. Katharine Hepburn -12 nominations (32/33, 35, 40, 42, 51, 55, 56, 59, 62, 67, 68, 81) look at that time span ~ just astounding isn't it?
02. Meryl Streep -11 nominations (81, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 90, 95, 98, 99, 06) the most modern woman on the list in terms of Oscar since she switches between supporting and lead nominations: that's very common now but it didn't use to be for big stars.
03. Bette Davis -10 nominations (35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 50, 52, 62)
04. Greer Garson -7 nominations (39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 60) She's the least well known today but see any of her performances and understand why Oscar fell hard. A charm machine.


05. (Tie ~6 lead noms each... in chronological order)
Norma Shearer (yay! 29/30, 30/31, 34, 36, 38) One could argue that she's only had 5 noms since she was nominated for two different performances in one year --before they changed the rules on that. But why quibble? Norma needs -- nay deserves your love
Ingrid Bergman (43, 44, 45, 48, 56, 78)
Deborah Kerr (49, 53, 56, 57, 58, 60) the most nominated female lead to have never won the naked shiny man... though Peter O'Toole has her beat overall in the male counterpart category
Jane Fonda (69, 71, 77, 78, 79, 86)
Sissy Spacek (76, 80, 82, 84, 86, 01)

The last time there was a significant change in the field was when Spacek joined, expanding Oscar's top eight women to a top nine once In the Bedroom (2001) hit, ending her 15 year Oscar drought. How long until someone forces a true top ten?


10. (eight-way tie with 5 lead nominations each)
The next group (5 lead noms) is bigger and includes actresses who've passed away (Susan Hayward, Anne Bancroft, Audrey Hepburn) and one retired giant (La Liz!) so let's just talk about the ones that are still living and working in films and who, thus, still have a chance at increasing their legends:

Shirley Maclaine (58, 60, 63, 77, 83)
Ellen Burstyn (73, 74, 78, 80, 00)
Jessica Lange (82, 84, 85, 89, 94)
Susan Sarandon (81, 91, 92, 94, 95)

Almost all of them have been working strictly in ensembles in recent years. Can they find their own In the Bedroom?

18. (fourteen-way tie: 4 lead noms each)
Just below them in the Oscar horse race are many who've passed on (Barbara Stanwyck, Irene Dunne, Greta Garbo, Janet Gaynor, Rosalind Russell) five retired winners (Jennifer Jones, Jane Wyman, Olivia DeHavilland, Joanne Woodward, Glenda Jackson) and one who has moved to TV guest work (Marsha Mason)...

Three working legends are also in this tier. How many more rungs up the ladder can Judi Dench (97, 01, 05, 06), Diane Keaton (77, 81, 96, 03) or Vanessa Redgrave (66, 68, 72, 84) climb? Or is it supporting roles from here on out?

Oscar's 80th birthday is just six months away ~ What happens to the Best Actress field in Oscar's octogenarian years? Must we wait until Kate Winslet is in her 40s for a real shakeup of the rank? You want to share your theories about the future of this hierarchy in the comments. You know you do.

Thanks to ~Little Golden Guy for a great database. Related stuff ~This year's Best Actress Race (updates soon) or click any of the labels below for more on these cinema greats...

Top Ten: Oscar Nominationless

With the Toronto Festival rapidly approaching, early Oscar buzz will soon be in the air. Time for a list!

One of the most common delusions of fans is "one day [my favorite actor] will be nominated for an Oscar!" The reality is that statistics are against it. Even actors with massive careers (Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, Richard Gere, Cameron Diaz, Jim Carrey) might go without...even when they manage to get close by either

_____a) snagging Oscar bait roles or
_____b) finding regular precursor attention @ the Golden Globes.

This year we might see long time shutouts like Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tilda Swinton in the mix, but you never know. For today's top ten I'm focusing on names that are even bigger headscratchers. These ten stars --well, I can never quite wrap my head around their absence from Oscar's history book. I've excluded foreign language actors since it's always believable that they'll be snubbed -- sorry Isabelle Huppert. Everyone knows you rule but Oscar is a slow reader and you have cooties (i.e. subtitles)

Movie Stars That Oscar Refuses To Love

10 Christian Bale. He's done everything: wowing as a child star, headlining hits, Oscarbait gimmicks like weight loss and accents. Part of the golden resistance is the kind of movies he's made: too challenging (American Psycho) or small (The Machinist). Given the way his critical and audience cred grows each year, Oscar is starting to look dense.

09 Jeff Daniels. It might be a stretch to call him a "star" but he is nearly as reliable as that other Jeff (Bridges) who also makes superb acting look easy. The other Jeff has four nominations to his name despite the perceived effortlessness. Daniels is always good but he was plain ol' magnificent in The Squid and the Whale (FB Award) and The Purple Rose of Cairo (review) two very difficult and different roles. Yet, Oscar won't acknowledge him. Do they have something against Michiganders.

08 Myrna Loy She's best remembered for her classic stylish "Nora Charles" role in the Thin Man series but in the early days of Oscar they weren't so afraid of comediennes (Carole Lombard, Irene Dunne and others were nominated) so what gives? Even when she worked the ensemble dramas late in her career (Lonelyhearts, Airport 75, From the Terrace) it was always a co-star who was noticed instead. She was denied one of those 'you're really old and we forgot all about you!' sympathy nods that Oscar watchers are so familiar with. They apologized with an honorary Oscar two years before her death.

07 Kim Novak This star shone brightly in the 50s but AMPAS wore blinders. Her biggest Oscar success was undoubtedly Picnic (1955) but she was not among its many nominees. She is one of a long line of actresses who suffered from the 'too beautiful to be taken seriously' fate. Novak didn't do any de-glamming to win kudos, she tested studio patience with an affair with Sammy Davis Jr and --most importantly for the discussion here -- she had the misfortune of giving her greatest performance in Vertigo (58) a movie which was way ahead of its time. It's maddening that her double your pleasure star turn, an entirely bewitching act, was passed over. The snub is even more painful knowing that Deborah Kerr's worst performance (Separate Tables) was in the mix.

06 Dennis Quaid. That disarming grin never fails to charm. The only known defense against it is a membership within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. That'll make you impervious. Quaid has tried against-type critical hoopla (Far From Heaven -FB award), biopic mugging (Great Balls of Fire), comebacks (The Rookie) and working the ensemble in a Best Picture nominee (Traffic, The Right Stuff, Breaking Away) --all tactics which have put the red carpet under the feet of many lessser actors.

05 Marilyn Monroe Kim Novak's problem again: if you're viewed as a trophy you're too pretty to earn one. It took a long time for Monroe's reputation to rise from movie star to fine actor. But decades later her work in Bus Stop, The Misfits and a number of musical comedies more than holds up. Her face has been over merchandized but there's still fresh discovery to be had in watching her actual work. Monroe as an icon is overvalued but Monroe the actor? Still underappreciated if you ask me.

04 Christopher Plummer Plummer has been a revered workaholic actor since the 1950s. He was invited to join AMPAS recently and one imagines that's an apology of sorts. He's been featured in Best Picture winners (Sound of Music, A Beautiful Mind) but even in a year when he won multiple precursor awards within a Best Picture nominee (The Insider) they politely looked away.

03 Steve Martin. This enduring star is currently testing critical patience with insipid family comedies, but that doesn't negate his overall career genius. It's easy to write this one off as "Oscar doesn't like comedy" but that doesn't entirely quell the dissatisfaction. His work in the romantic comedy Roxanne or his dramatic but funny spin in Grand Canyon is on par with your typical Robin Williams acting. And speaking of... that less original funny man has multiple Oscar nods and an actual trophy to show for his work. Injustice! Has he ever been as inspired as Steve Martin was in All of Me?

02 Donald Sutherland. Some stars become legendary through the force of their own charisma (think Julia Roberts) even if the bulk of their actual filmography is not much to envy. Other actors achieve immortality by being in so many great films that their work will be seen forever. Pairing Sutherland's Oscar loved films with the knowledge that he's always passed over is a jaw dropping exercize: MASH, Klute, Don't Look Now, Fellini's Casanova, Ordinary People, JFK, Six Degrees of Separation, Pride & Prejudice ...(whew)

01 Mia Farrow On rare occassions I feel guilty for writing about the movies as in... 'stop reading right now and watch THIS!' I know there are people reading who haven't seen Farrow's haunting work in Rosemary's Baby, her unrecognizable and funny scenery-chewing in Broadway Danny Rose (1984), her perfectly judged star-gazing in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) or her quicksilver moodshifts in Alice (1990) ...and that's just four (four!) great performances off the top of my head. Mia Farrow has led an oft controversial, confrontational and tabloid-friendly personal life ever since her early days of stardom on Frank Sinatra's arm. But here's the thing: Oscar voters should be setting aside prickly personal lives when judging the merits of performance.


Mia's glory days are gone but she was brilliant more than once and has the classic films to show for it. But no honors from the Academy. Making this sting even more: Woody Allen films, which make up about a third of Farrow's filmography, have won many acting nominations and trophies, but Mia was never along for that ride. AMPAS has absurdly mistreated her. She's more than earned an honorary Oscar, don't you think?

Who would you add or subtract from this list? Which omission makes you the most bonkers? [for related posts, chase the labels @ the bottom of zee post]

Judge Jenny

Is Jennifer Hudson qualified to judge the art of acting? I have to ask.

She is among the newest invitees to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscar voters) which means somewhere down the road, Jennifer Hudson will help determine if the next challenging virtuoso turn (like Naomi Watts's in Mulholland Dr or Isabelle Huppert's in The Piano Teacher) is shunned or honored. She'll judge whether or not Meryl deserves her third Oscar or Kate Winslet her first.... and both of those women will undoubtedly have tough competition in future races. They'll certainly be up against some media friendly babes frumping it up for attention: the "Jessica"s are only five to seven years away from seeking out those "deglam" opportunities... mark my words.

I don't mean to rag on JHud. I love her I do. She's my favorite person to ever emerge from the otherwise bar lowering entertainment phenom known as... never mind. I'm sick of saying the name. I can't wait to buy her first CD. She's certainly a better choice as an Oscar winner than several before her. But I think it's worth discussing: Is she qualified to know who is and isn't crafting delicately nuanced portraits or boldly stylizing their star turns?

[I'm playing devil's advocate here --we all feel qualified to do this or else there wouldn't be so much discussion about who is or isn't deserving. But shouldn't the Academy have to be more qualified ;) ]

Does she know the difference between a performance that just underlines the script or one that elevates the material? I have to ask because she has almost no experience. (Note: They did not invite Michelle Williams or Rinko Kikuchi, recent nominees who have been acting a lot longer.) Yes, Jenny just won the Oscar ... it makes Academy sense. But I'm just saying.

She might excel at the job. She's risen up to other tasks. But, to me, Hudson's co-nominee Adriana Barraza (the nanny in Babel), who was also invited to join the ranks, makes more sense as a voting member. I hope she accepts their invite. She's a well regarded acting teacher when she isn't onscreen. My guess is she has practice discerning the success of various components within any given performance. If she doesn't her former students should ask for their money back.

In other invitation news... The rest of the AMPAS newbie list reads like their usual mix of apologies (sorry Daniel Craig! we love you we do), celebrity worship (Jennifer Aniston --an Academy member? WHY??? Seriously. What would the reason be?), people you thought were already members (Christopher Plummer), head scratchers (Peter Berg in the directors branch after only a few pictures and only one of them, Friday Night Lights, gets talked about. J.J. Abrams in the writing branch when his chief claim to fame is Lost --a television series. There's another Academy for that, people. Geez) and extremely random if not unpleasant names (William Fichtner, Maribel Verdu).

You can see the whole list at Awards Daily. It's fun to see these lists but it sure does make you wonder about the Hollywood networking game...

Atonement Teaser

It's absolutely silly to prejudge movies before seeing them... but I'm silly. Here is the teaser for Atonement (which you'll recall is all over my early bird Oscar predictions)


This first look gives me hope that those predix weren't totally foolish. It looks terrific at least: costumes, cinematography, a sweeping epic feel and a hint of serious performances --lots of shots of James McAvoy and Keira Knightley both looking grave and potentially wonderful. What say ye?

Early Bird (Fool) Oscar Predictions Complete

I saved the best for last: the (predicted) ladies of next February's Oscar extravaganza.

LEAD ACTRESS
a vengeful woman. a forgetful woman. a frantic wife. a queen. a sarcastic sister.

SUPP ACTRESS
rising stars, a legend, a comeback and a regular.

Now the Early Bird Oscar Predictions are complete (full list here all the links should be working) Wish me luck.

Picture & Director: Early Oscar Predictions

I've lost me mind trying to do these April Fools Too Early Oscar Predictions. It's like an OCD ritual. It makes me frakkin' crazy. All the second guessing, the multiple options, the domino effect of one prediction begetting another. Nevertheless if you are silly enough (like myself) to attempt to see the unforseeable it can be fun to tell yourself stories about what might happen in a cinematic year.

Here are my detailed thoughts on Best Picture and a not so detailed look at Best Director (an entire lineup of newbies ---what am I thinking?). I've made two minor tech predix adjustment (in sound and editing) as I rethink some of this but as soon as the actors and actresses go up it can all be considered final first predictions.

Bragging and Self Flagellation
I have one of the very best track records on the net for predictions this early. (27% success rate last year before we knew anything) Though that sounds like bragging I must also remind you that I fall down in the prognosticating ranks as we get closer to the final nomination predictions in January. I'm not sure how I let the other pundits overtake me. Maybe I'm too caught up in possible upsets? too emotionally attached to the movies by then? I'm not sure. But this far out I do enviably well. (27% probably doesn't sound enviable but just try it one year. Write them up and shove them in a drawer. Pull them back out in January. You'll be shocked.)

Actors and Actresses will be up tonight and then we can leave Oscar predix behind and get back to non-statue like topics for the spring and summer

Cinematography, Art Direction, More...

Here's the rest of the early bird Oscar predictions for cinematography, editing and art direction and for both screenplay categories.

Only the big six categories left to go.

Keira. She Wears It Well?

What is Keira Knightley's secret...deft career choices? lucky breaks? Is it the come hither jutting skeleton? Whatever it is Keira Knightley is the new Zell...well, if she's not quite the star of red carpet glamour yet, she's certainly becoming a go-to fashion plate onscreen. Theoretically this year's Costume Design Oscar race could be all about dressing Keira up. She's in three costume extravaganzas including box office behemoth Pirates of the Caribbean: At Trilogy's End, literary adaptation Atonement (wherein she's reunited with both director and costumer from Pride & Prejudice) and Silk (pictured) wherein she's costumed by none other than Akira Kurosawa's daughter. I'm not making this up.

My predictions for Oscar's Costume Design competition

Spot on or way off? What do you think of the guesswork?

Award Worthy Aurals?

Here is crazy early Oscar predix/guesswork for the ear drummy awards: Score, Song, and Sound And there's also animated and foreign film predictions up (the Foreign category doesn't get its own unique page until after Cannes though --so these are just five countries chosen semi-randomly but with one or two films in mind like Lust, Caution which may or may not be eligible because: what submitting country could actually claim it? Taiwan, China, Hong Kong? or France's biopic La Vie En Rose which may or may not end up as a submission at all --France has so much to choose from).

Your thoughts regarding any of these categories... (I will hopefully finish all categories today. But it could just as easily stretch into tomorrow)

Makeup & Visual Effects: Very Golden

The year in advance Oscar Predictions have begun. (they'll be popping up all day for each category) Read and discuss right here. Think I'm spot on or way off?