Final 2007 Oscar® Ballots Mailed

Final ballots for the 80th Academy Awards® were mailed today (January 30) to the 5,829 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Listed on the ballots are nominees in 19 of the Award categories.

Separate ballots for five categories will be distributed after verification of mandatory member-attendance at screenings. Those categories are: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Foreign Language Film, Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film.

Nominations were announced 22 January. You can see the list of all nominees on my post of that date here.

Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. Tuesday, 19 February. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted. Following the tabulation of the votes, the winners’ names will be placed in sealed envelopes to be opened on Oscar Night®, Sunday, 24 February.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m., PT. The Oscar presentation will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

ADDENDUM: All the above will come true if the Writers Guild Strike is resolved, or if the Guild grants waivers the Academy has requested. As this is posted, the Academy asserts that, come what may, there will be an awards show. Academy President Sid Ganis told Associated Press (AP) today that Academy personnel are planning two shows, "The show we would love to do and . . . a show that we would prefer not to do." There is no consideration of a postponement, either. The curtain will go up as scheduled. But, on what?

The good Lord willing, and the Creek don't rise, I shall post all the winners Oscar night as soon as the show is over.

In Praise of the SAG Awards

Spanish actor Javier Bardém accepts SAG award for best supporting actor for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. The award supposedly weighs 20 pounds.

Today's article in the television section of The New York Times, "Less Preening, More Fun and a Touch of Dignity at Awards Show," by Alessandra Stanley, contains nothing but praise for the Screen Actors Guild Awards' show last night, broadcast on TBS.

Recipients, one exception being Alec Baldwin, actually attended and accepted their awards. Since SAG is the guild of actors, and that guild is supporting the Writers Guild strike, the WGA granted a waiver and did not picket.

The evening also marked the 75th anniversary of SAG's founding, only five years after the founding of AMPAS®. SAG has the largest voting block in AMPAS, and SAG members will not attend the Oscars®, unless the WGA strike is settled before Oscar® night, 24 February. The writer of this blog also supports the strike, although not yet a member of the WGA.

According to the article, the SAG evening was "fast," without, "a preening master of ceremonies or any long production numbers," and "for the most part brisk and entertaining." There was, of course, less writing, and what writing done was probably done by those SAG members who are not also members of the WGA.

Note to Mr. Gil Cates, Producer, 80th Academy Awards®: Please read this article. The Oscar broadcast needs pruning and fine tuning, with less preening and long-winded buffoonery. Now!

But I digress. The winners were . . . . You will find them, plus more about the glitz and glam on my Awards Page, along with links and other info. This link will take you immediately to the exact spot on my page, and there is also a permanent link on the right sidebar of this blog.

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Roman Polanski

Tate & Polanski then. Polanski now.

UPDATE 27 January - Here is a new article from Reuters, through Yahoo News, about this controversial documentary. It just won the Documentary Editing Award at the Sundance International Film Festival. Even with all the hype, it received only this one award.

Original Post, 20 January - Marina Zenovich's documentary, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED, about the Oscar-winning director, made its debut at the Sundance International Film Festival this weekend. Also, it was announced the film has a worldwide distribution deal from the Weinstein Co., from which the documentary division of HBO obtained the North American rights.

It was 30 years ago this past August that I met Roman Polanski at the Berlin Film Festival, which was then held in summer. Polanski arrived with a beautiful young woman on each arm. He was on the lam in Europe following a warrant for his arrest for statutory rape, having been charged with having sex with a 13-year-old girl, and fleeing the USA. The incident happened in Actor Jack Nicholson's home.

Many in 1977 Berlin hastened to cut Polanski slack because his behavior had been erratic following the loss of his beautiful actress-wife Sharon Tate, 25, and their unborn child. Both were murdered by Charles Manson and Manson's drug-crazed cohorts during an invasion of the Polanski home in 1969. Others maintained that there was no excuse for statutory rape. The next day, pictures of Polanski at the festival were published in the national press, and he high-tailed it back to France where he still maintains his citizenship.

Polanski married French actress Emmanuelle Seigner in 1989, who is over thirty years his junior, and they have two children. He directed her in FRANTIC, 1988.

Polanski, now 74, continues to work in Europe, mostly France, and has never returned to the U.S. In 2003, he won the Academy Award for THE PIANIST, but he did not attempt to return. Nicholson is still a "Hollywood darling."

Director Marina Zenovich has never interviewed Polanski. However, she did speak with Polanski's lawyer, the victim, her attorney, law enforcement officials, film industry colleagues and reporters who covered the case, among others. They all revealed troubling behavior by the judge, now deceased, who was so driven by media coverage that he kept a scrapbook of clippings. Polanski presumably fled because he feared unfair treatment amid the media frenzy.

The documentary is a patchwork quilt of comments and archived clips, similar to Ken Burn's documentary style, all designed to lead the viewer to draw conclusions. The subtext of the bizarre occurrences remains, "To what extent Polanski's state of mind, after the senseless killings of his wife and unborn child, might have contributed to his supposed lack of judgment that led to his subsequent fugitive status?"

There are still the questions as to whether the movie ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968), directed by Polanski and released shortly before the murders, may have influenced the demented Manson to choose Polanski's home that night in 1969. Some suggested that Manson's warped mind may have perceived Sharon Tate as carrying the spawn of the Devil, because Polanski directed a movie about a woman carrying the child of the Devil. Therefore, the Polanski's child might have equated to a spawn of the Devil in Manson's mind. Yes, I know. It is demented thinking, but it was postulated at the time.

Will this documentary answer all your questions about Polanski and his sex with a minor? Doubtful. It may raise more questions.

AMPAS® Unveils Best Picture Poster

New Poster"80 Years of Best Motion Picture Oscar® Winners"

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® unveiled the latest edition of its Best Picture poster this week. Currently only the 79 known Best Picture winners are shown in the poster. The 80th Best Picture winner will be added on Oscar Sunday, February 24, immediately following the Academy Awards presentation.

The 27 x 40-inch poster is printed on premium quality, Forest Stewardship Certified paper. The poster is available for purchase on the Academy’s Web site, publications, or by calling 1-800-993-4567. Posters will be shipped in March 2008. The official poster for the 80th Academy Awards is shipping now and may be ordered on the same page as the 80 Best Picture poster. See my post Thursday, 17 January about the posters.

Designed by Alex Swart, the poster features a spiraling gold ribbon containing the one-sheets for all the Best Picture winners, forming the shape of the Oscar statuette. Swart, head of SwartAd, a marketing design agency, designed the official posters of the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards as well as previous editions of the Best Picture poster.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m., PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

80th Oscar® Nominations Announced

The President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®, Sid Ganis, assisted by the Oscar-winning actress Kathy Bates (MISERY, 1990), announced the nominations for the 80th Academy Awards® early this morning, 22 January. They made the announcement at a press conference in the auditorium of the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre at the Academy's headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, at 5:30 a.m., PT, broadcast live on ABC-TV (list below).

There are, essentially, no surprises to those of us who have watched the 2007 film festivals and the 2008 awards season unfold. There are, however, disappointments, but more about that in future posts.

Academy members selected the nominees in their respective branches, with the exception of the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, in which nominations were selected by vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees. Ballots were mailed to the 5,829 voting members in late December and were returned directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international accounting firm, for tabulation.

Official screenings of all pictures with one or more nominations will begin this weekend for members at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Screenings also will be held at the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and the Bay Area.

The Academy's entire active membership is now eligible to select the winners in all categories, although in five of them — Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, and Foreign Language Film — members can vote only after attesting they have seen all of the nominated films in those categories.

. . . . AND THE NOMINEES ARE:

Best motion picture of 2007, feature:
ATONEMENT (Focus Features)
JUNO (Fox Searchlight)
MICHAEL CLAYTON (Warner Bros.)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)

Best live action film of 2007, short:
AT NIGHT (Om natten, Denmark, 37 min) Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
THE SUBSTITUTE (Il Supplente, Italy), Andrea Jublin
THE MOZART OF PICKPOCKETS (Le Mozart des Pickpockets, France 31 min), Philippe Pollet - Villard
TANGOS ARGENTINIAN (Tanghi argentini, Belgium, 14 min),Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
THE TONTO WOMAN (USA, based on the short story by Elmore Leonard), Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

Achievement in directing in 2007:
Julian Schnabel, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Jason Reitman, JUNO
Tony Gilroy, MICHAEL CLAYTON
Joel and Ethan Coen, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Paul Thomas Anderson,THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Adapted screenplay 2007, based on material previously produced or published:
Christopher Hampton, ATONEMENT
Sarah Polley, AWAY FROM HER (Lionsgate)
Ronald Harwood, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Joel and Ethan Coen, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Paul Thomas Anderson, THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Original screenplay 2007:
Diablo Cody, JUNO
Nancy Oliver, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (MGM)
Tony Gilroy, MICHAEL CLAYTON
Brad Bird, RATAOUILLE (Walt Disney)
Tamara Jenkins, THE SAVAGES (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a leading role in 2007:
George Clooney, MICHAEL CLAYTON
Daniel Day-Lewis,THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Johnny Depp, SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Distributed by DreamWorks / Paramount))
Tommy Lee Jones, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen, EASTERN PROMISES (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role in 2007:
Casey Affleck, THE ASSASSINAION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORT (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Philip Seymour Hoffman, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (Universal)
Hal Holbrook INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson, MICHAEL CLAYTON

Performance by an actress in a leading role in 2007:
Cate Blanchett, ELIZABETH: The Golden Age (Universal)
Julie Christie, AWAY FROM HER
Marion Cotillard, LA VIE EN ROSE (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney, THE SAVAGES
Ellen Page, JUNO

Performance by an actress in a supporting role in 2007:
Cate Blanchett, I'M NOT THERE (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee, AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan, ATONEMENT
Amy Ryan, GONE BABY GONE (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton, MICHAEL CLAYTON

Best animated film of 2007, feature:
PERSEPOLIS (France, USA), directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud (Sony Pictures Classics)
RATATOUILLE, directed by Brad Bird(Walt Disney)
SURF'S UP, directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Best animated film of 2007, short:
I MET THE WALRUS, Josh Raskin
MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI, Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
EVEN PIGEONS GO TO HEAVEN, (Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis), Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
MY LOVE (Moya Lyubov, Russia), Alexander Petrov
PETER & THE WOLFE, Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best foreign language film of 2007, feature:
BEAUFORT, Israel, directed by Joseph Cedar
THE COUNTERFEITERS (Die Fälscher), Austria, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky
KATYN, Poland, directed by Andrzej Wajda
MONGOL, Kazakhstan, directed by Sergei Bodrov
12, Russia, directed by Nikita Mikhalkov

Best documentary film of 2007, feature:
NO END IN SIGHT, Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs (Magnolia Pictures) (Magnolia Pictures)
OPERATION HOMECOMING: Writing the Wartime Experience, Richard E. Robbins (The Documentary Group)
SICKO, Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara (Lionsgate / The Weinstein Company)
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, Alex Gibney and Eva Orner (THINKFilm)
WAR / DANCE, Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine (THINKFilm)

Best documentary short subject of 2007:
FREEHELD, Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
LA CORONA (The Crown), Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
SALIM BABA, Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
SARI'S MOTHER, James Longley

Achievement in film editing 2007:
Christopher Rouse, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
Juliette Welfling, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Jay Cassidy, INTO THE WILD
Roderick Jaynes, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Dylan Tichenor, THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Achievement in cinematography 2007:
Roger Deakins, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
Seamus McGarvey, ATONEMENT
Janusz Kaminski, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Roger Deakins, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Robert Elswit, THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Achievement in costume design, 2007:
Albert Wolsky, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
Jacqueline Durran, ATONEMENTA
Alexandra Byrne, ELIZABETH: The Golden Age
Marit Allen, LA VIE EN ROSE
Colleen Atwood, SWEENEY TODD

Achievement in makeup, 2007:
Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald, LA VIE EN ROSE
Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji, NORBIT
Ve Neill and Martin Samuel, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: At World’s End

Achievement in art direction, 2007:
AMRICAN GANGSTER, Art Direction: Arthur Max, Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino;
ATONEMENT, Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer;
THE GOLDEN COMPASS, Art Direction: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock;
SWEENEY TODD, Art Direction: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo;
THERE WILL BE BLOOD, Art Direction: Jack Fisk, Set Decoration: Jim Erickson.

Achievement in sound editing, 2007:
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Skip Lievsay
RATATOUILLE, Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
THERE WILL BE BLOOD, Matthew Wood
TRANSFORMERS, Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Achievement in sound mixing, 2007:
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
RATATOUILLE, Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
3:10 TO YUMA, Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
TRANSFORMERS, Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Achievement in visual effects, 2007:
THE GOLDEN COMPAS, Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: At World’s End, John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
TRANSFORMERS, Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) 2007:
ATONEMENT, Dario Marianelli
THE KITE RUNNER, Alberto Iglesias
MICHAEL CLAYTON, James Newton Howard
RATATOUILLE, Michael Giacchino
3:10 TO YUMA, Marco Beltrami

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) 2007:
ONCE, "Falling Slowly,” Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
ENCHANTED, “Happy Working Song,” Music by Alan Menken
Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
AUGUST RUSH, “Raise It Up,” Nominees to be determined
ENCHANTED, “So Close,” Music by Alan Menken and Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
ENCHANTED, “That’s How You Know,” Music by Alan Menken and Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
_______

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

That's the hope at this point, but all eyes are on the possible settlement of the writer's strike!

LINKS RELEVANT:

There is a permanent link to this list on right sidebar of this blog. Links and other information will be added as made available, or find it here. There is a permanent link to AMPAS on right sidebar, or click title of this post.
Companion site for Oscars 2008
IMDb's ROAD TO THE OSCARS

Official Posters for 80th Academy Awards

The Official Poster of the 80th Annual Academy Awards®

Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences® (AMPAS®) unveiled the 80th Academy Awards poster for the Oscars®, 24 February.

This year's official Academy Awards' poster was originally conceived by Drew Struzan. For more than 30 years Struzan created some of cinema’s most memorable advertising posters, including the one-sheets for all six of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” films and, most recently, the key art for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming feature, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.

The Academy's 80th Anniversary poster was executed by Struzan's son Christian, who with his creative team at XL Laboratories, Inc., designed and produced the poster for the Academy. The company has created poster art for such films as SWEET HOME ALABAMA, HELLBOY, and SIDEWAYS.

AMPAS President Sid Ganis with the original of the Struzans' poster.

Starting today, more than 50,000 posters will be distributed worldwide. The 27 x 40-inch poster is printed on premium quality, Forest Stewardship Certified paper. It is available for purchase on the Academy’s Web site (link on right sidebar), this link, or by calling 1-800-554-1814.

There will be another official poster for this historic 80th anniversary, "80 Years of Best Picture Winners," shipped in March 2008. The cost is also $25.00, and Pre-publication orders are accepted now on the same page.

The 80th Academy Awards nominations will be announced this coming Tuesday, 22 January 2008, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, Hollywood, CA, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Oscar® Foreign Film Short List

The two-phase nomination process for the Best Foreign-Language Film (BFLF) has whittled the list of 63 foreign motion pictures submitted for Oscar® nomination consideration, down to nine. More specifics on these movies later. For now, here's the list alphabetized by country, with directors:

Austria, THE COUNTERFEITERS, Stefan Ruzowitzky;
Brazil, THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION, Cao Hamburger;
Canada, DAYS OF DARKNESS, Denys Arcand;
Israel, BEAUFORT, Joseph Cedar;
Italy, THE UNKNOWN, Giuseppe Tornatore;
Kazakhstan, MONGOL, Sergei Bodrov;
Poland, KATYN, Andrzej Wajda;
Russia, 12, Nikita Mikhalkov;
Serbia, THE TRAP, Srdan Golubovic.

The Phase I committees formed to screen the initially-submitted motion pictures have done their job. Next, a Phase II committee will view the shortlisted films and select the five nominees for the category.

Phase II screenings will take place from Friday, 18 January, through Sunday, 20 January, in both Hollywood and New York City. That committee is composed of ten randomly selected members from the Phase I group, joined by specially invited ten-member contingents in New York and Los Angeles.

Nominations for the 80th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, 22 January 2008, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, 24 February 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Mimi's addendum to that last paragraph: We hope!

Disastrous 65th Golden Globes®

I do not know about others, but I was sincerely pulling for the Golden Globes to make it through impending disaster due to the Writers Guild strike. There are 10,500 members of the Writers Guild of America on strike, and it is now in its 11th week. Unfortunately, the entire evening was an unmitigated failure on all fronts, proving that without the movie and television star players, along with the bling and glam they bring to the party, there is no party.

Unbeknown to me was the fact that there were two simultaneous "press conferences." The Official one was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, attended only by journalists, media executives and publicists. Then, there was that disastrous NBC-helmed "Press Conference." I only viewed the latter, and I have no idea where it was held, but I did once see a marquee for the Roosevelt Hotel.

However, press reports today pretty much supported my criticisms. According to Reuters, NBC's " . . . broadcast . . . averaged 5.8 million viewers against competition from CBS' Western miniseries 'Comanche Moon' and ABC's 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', which averaged 16.6 million and 13.9 million viewers, respectively."

Reuters reports that the People's Choice Awards last week drew 6 million viewers and, last year, the Globes had 20 million. I assume that was in the U.S. alone.

Money earned in TV is tied to viewers. As a result of the low ratings, NBC lost $10 to $15 million in advertising revenue compared to what it had planned to receive for the usual Globes telecast.

I did cheer for some winners. First, for Tina Fey (30 Rock) to win actress in a leading role - musical or comedy series. She's one of the most talented young women, if not the most, working in the entertainment industry today, and she's so much more than an excellent actress.

Second, for Javier Bardem (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) to win actor in a supporting role. I am considered somewhat of an expert in Spanish cinema, and am familiar with the life-time work of his mother and late uncle. The Bardem theatrical family (stage and film) in Spain is as admired there as the Barrymore family is in America.

Third, for the best foreign film win for THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, and the best director win for its director, Julian Schnabel.

One word of criticism about film selection. If THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY was eligible for submission to AMPAS® in the best foreign-language category, France should have submitted it instead of PERSEPOLIS. I think the latter has a excellent chance in the animated film category, and I think DIVING BELL could have won the best foreign-language category for France. In other words, they could have gotten a nomination in two categories had they played their cards correctly. Of course, I could be wrong. We shall see.

I seldom mention Globes given for television because this blog is mainly for motion pictures, but this is an exception. Something quite nice happened with the Globes this year, but it wasn't part of the "announcements."

The record for the oldest person receiving a Globe nomination was set last night by Ernest Borgnine (Oscar and Globe for MARTY, 1955) who, at age 90, received a Globe nomination for actor in a leading role - mini-series or television movie. The nod was for "A Grandpa for Christmas" (Hallmark). Borgnine's cast mates in the TV movie are Jamie Farr, Katherine Helmond, and Juliette Goglia. Look for it on DVD soon.

He didn't win. The award went to Jim Broadbent for LONGFORD (AMC), which won the best mini-series or TV movie category, and Samantha Morton was tapped as the best actress in a supporting role for LONGFORD.

We are only a week away from the announcement of the Academy Award® nominations. From all indications, the Academy is preparing with all haste for the presentation gala Sunday, 24 February. What else can they do?

I did read something today that the Directors Guild (DGA) is exploring possible talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), which is in dispute the the Writers Guild (WGA). However, it's the WGA and AMPTP that need to be talking, and searching for a compromise.

We shall see.

65th Golden Globes® Announced

13 January 2008 - Here are some of the major motion picture winners:

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (France, USA) won Best Foreign Film, and a best director nod for Julian Schnabel.
ATONEMENT (UK, France) won best picture - drama. The movie received the most nominations, but won only two, The other was for the original score by Dario Marianelli (Italian).
SWEENEY TODD (USA, UK) won best picture - musical or comedy.
Marion Cotillard (French) won best actress in a leading role - musical or comedy - for her role in LA VIE EN ROSE (La Môme, Germany, USA).
Johnny Depp (USA) won best actor in a leading role - musical or comedy - for his role of the barber in SWEENEY TODD.
Julie Christie (UK, born in India) for best actress in a leading role - drama - for AWAY FROM HER (Canada).
Daniel Day-Lewis (UK) won best actor in a leading role - drama - for THERE WILL BE BLOOD (USA).
Cate Blanchett (Australian) won best actress in a supporting role - drama - for I'M NOT THERE (USA, Germany).
Javier Bardém (Spanish) won best actor in a supporting role - drama - for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (USA). Ethan and Joel Coen won for the screenplay.
RATATOUILLE voted best animated movie.

MIMI COMMENTS: I watched some of the Peoples Choice Awards last week, Queen Latifah hosting. They had a snappy cinematic presentation with a lively host who moved, sang and cracked a few jokes.

Last night, Bush and O'Dell stood like statues behind a podium. The announcements were crammed into an hour. IMDb clocked it, and the actual award time was 35 minutes. Commercials received almost as much time as the announcement of winners. How uncool is that?

What? NBC couldn't give the HFPA even 90 minutes of air time? Also, who was that couple sitting there bantering? If they had cut them out, maybe Bush and O'Dell could have slowed their speech and we might have been able to understand them.

My list of nominees is five pages long, and I flipped them back and forth, trying to mark everything. Of course, I taped it so that I could go back and check. I hope the first thing the HFPA does is pull the awards from NBC for next year!

Links relevant:

Globes Official Site's List of All Nominees and Winners.

IMDb Site for More, especially pictures!

See my previous posts, "Golden Globes 'Press Conference' Tonight" and "Globes Gala No Go."

Golden Globes® "Press Conference" Tonight

Instead of the 65th star-studded award celebration hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)® that would generate about 60 million dollars for the Los Angeles area economy, including about 8 million for charitable organizations helped annually by HFPS, there will be a one-hour "press conference," hosted by the puffed-up Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell of the NBC entertainment show Access Hollywood.

That's a slap-in-the face to not only the HFPA but millions of television viewers around the world. Of course, NBC couldn't get any bona fide actor, news anchor, film critic, or studio executive who would bend their mores to host the show.

It will be live on the NBC network, beginning at 6:00 p.m., PT, but there will be no red carpet, no glitz, no glamour, no glitter, no lavish banquet for invited guests following, and hundreds of smaller, slightly lavish private parties around the world, enjoying communal viewing and great booze into the wee hours of the morning.

This has never happened since the first movie-awards dinner was held in Hollywood 80 years ago. A group of movie producers, stars, and studio heads held a small, private dinner. They gave out a statue called "Oscar®" to some of their fellow actors, and others working in the movie industry in order to add status to their profession and, hopefully, some extra dollars. It was not even broadcast on radio, just a cozy little dinner party.

They incorporated as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)® and I think, with the possible exception of France, it may be the first such Academy. It has been a resounding success benefiting the U.S. movie industry, those who work in it, and hundreds of satellite industries in Southern California.

The gala broadcast generates millions of dollars in three digits for charities, scholarships, artistic education, film restoration and preservation, the Academy's operating expenses, and participating service industries that rely upon it to meet their annual payroll.

The cancellation of the Golden Globes is sad for everyone involved, and will impact the economy of Southern California so much so that it may take years to undo the monetary damage. But, folks, if the Academy Awards do not happen, you "ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Links relevant:

Globes News Release - 11 January 2008 // Article - Los Angeles Times, "Globes TV special now an '"Access" PR stunt'?" // Mimi's Awards Page 2008, link on right sidebar, and awards listed alphabetically by hosting organizations.

Globes Gala a No Go

The Golden Globes® Gala has been canceled. At the moment, it is reported that NBC plans a news-type show sans celebrities on Sunday the 13th where winners will be announced but there will be no celebrity recipients present. It is still unknown whether the pickets will be at the Beverly Hilton, if the site remains the same, or if the Guild will pull them for this event.

NBC will produce the "news conference" through their news department. That way, they can use their archived video and sound clips and not pay license fees, plus circumvent other issues of the striking writers. The exact format has not been announced. The original producers, Dick Clark Productions will, according to the Los Angeles Times, covertly coordinate with NBC.

The Globes banquet will not happen, and private parties all over the Westside of Los Angeles are being canceled. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association issued a statement that they were disappointed, ". . . that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007's outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television."

Meanwhile, it is reported that the organizers of the 80th Academy Awards® are still optimistic that they can produce a show as good as any of the preceding Oscars®" for Sunday, 24 February. Both the Globe and the Oscar shows bring in millions for the organizations and the networks, NBC and ABC.

British Academy Announces BFLF Nominees

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA®) in the UK has announced its nominees for the Orange Award in the Best Foreign Language Film of 2007 category. The five nominees are:

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (France) IMDb,
THE KITE RUNNER (USA) IMDb,
THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Germany, won Oscar® last February) IMDb,
LUST, CAUTION (Taiwan) IMDb,
LA VIE EN ROSE (France) IMDb.

AMPAS® has committees to short-list nominations. This year, for the first time, BAFTA has Chapters and, as with AMPAS, the BAFTA Chapter "is comprised of Academy voting members with expertise in a specific area of the film industry, so that the people who vote initially are those with professional knowledge of the category in question." The full membership will view the nominated movies to determine the 2007 winner.

Nominations in all categories will be announced Sunday, 16 January 2008, and presented 10 February.

No Actors at Golden Globes Except to Picket!

UPDATE: 7 January - - The Hollywood Reporter reported today that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) may be pushing NBC to pull the plug on the broadcast of the Globes. Apparently, both the HFPA and NBC are considering the option.

5 January - - It's official! Screen Actors Guild (SAG) president Alan Rosenberg announced late yesterday that not one of the more than 70 actors nominated for a Golden Globe will attend the 13 January televised gala because members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) plan to picket the event. Read the full announcement and more in Variety.

Awards Heat Up and New Festival Season Opens

The 2007 - 2008 movie awards season is now officially in high gear. It will culminate with the Academy Awards® in February. The 2008 film festival season opens tomorrow.

Nominations for movie and television awards have been stepping on each other's toes since November as they compete for media attention. In the meantime, the film festival season has been moving to earlier dates each year like the political nominations. The 2007 festival season closed in December. In California, the Palm Springs International Film Festival kicks off the 2008 season tomorrow, 3 January 2008, followed by the Santa Barbara festival on 24 January.

In between Palm Springs and Cannes in May, there are major festivals, including Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, and San Francisco. Also, some specialty festivals such as Miami, Hot Docs, South by Southwest (SXSW) and the San Diego Latino festival. I cover them all, and others, on my Film Festivals Page.

The awards galas begin in earnest this month. The oldest active film critics association (begun in 1936), the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards will be presented at the Gala 6 January, in New York City, followed the next day by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) - (Critics Choice Awards) at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA (Broadcast live on VH1).

The awards are galloping toward their first international gala, the Golden Globes® scheduled for Sunday, 13 January, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, broadcast live on NBC, 8:00 p.m., EST. Globes are sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Some say the Globes predict the Oscars®. Not so. They hint. The HFPA members tend to vote for the Hollywood star that is "hot" in looks and / or the gossip columns. The term used by some critics for the HFPA is "star wh _ _ _ s".

Notice that I wrote the Globes, "are scheduled". If you haven't heard, there's a big writer's strike hanging over the awards season this year, but the Oscar® nominations will be announced Tuesday, 22 January, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theater. It remains to be seen if the AMPAS® presentation gala goes forth as planned on Sunday, 24 February. The latest word is that it will go, even if the show is missing some of the frills of recent years. That could be a good thing.

I'm doing my best to follow all this on my Awards Page 2008 and my Film Festivals Page 2008 (links on the right sidebar as well). You will find links for the 2007 pages on my 2008 pages in case you wish to refer back.

Please note that the Awards are listed in the alphabetical order of the organizations giving the awards. Film Festivals are listed in chronological order by date held. Again, I suggest you use your Browser's "Edit" button, scroll down to "Find in this document," click and type a key word such as GOYA or GLOBES, for awards; SUNDANCE or PALM SPRINGS for festivals, etc.

There are new posts as the momentum builds, so I suggest you visit often. You do want to be ready for that Globe and / or Oscar® contest, or your office pools don't you? Good luck!

Since you read this far, here's the skinny on the most-likely best motion picture of the year, which leads where various award nominations and winners have been announced so far: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.

Oscar nominations are 22 January. If NO COUNTRY is not on the Academy Awards best picture nominations list, I'll eat this blog.

Happy 2008!