85th OSCAR NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED THURSDAY

Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards® will be announced by the show's host Seth MacFarlane, and actress Emma Stone, Thursday, January 10, 2013. MacFarlane and Stone will unveil the nominations at a 5:30 a.m. (PT) at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered.

85th Academy Awards Oscar host Seth MacFarlane

 This will be the first time since 1972 an Oscar show host has participated in the nominations announcement. Before MacFarlane, the late Charlton Heston was the only host to actively engage in making the nominations announcement.

Since the first nominations announcement in 1964, the Academy president has been joined by one or more co-announcers at the event. This year the Academy will break with tradition when MacFarlane, who was named Oscar show host in October, joins Stone on Oscar nominations morning. 

Emma Stone starred in the 2011 Best Picture nominee "The Help" and the summer release "The Amazing Spider-Man." Her other film credits include "Superbad," "Zombieland," "Easy A" and "Crazy, Stupid, Love." Stone will be seen in "Gangster Squad" later this month and in "The Croods," due out in March.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood and Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

OSCAR RACE SHORT LISTS

CONTENDERS IN VISUAL EFFECTS (VFX)
     The top 10 films in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 85th Academy Awards®. Films are listed below in alphabetical order:

     “The Amazing Spider-Man”
     “Cloud Atlas”
     “The Dark Knight Rises”
     “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
     “John Carter”
     “Life of Pi”
     “Marvel’s The Avengers”
     “Prometheus”
     “Skyfall”
     “Snow White and the Huntsman”

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Thursday, January 3.  Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.

LIVE ACTION SHORTS

Here is the list of 11 live action short films advancing in the voting process for the 85th Academy Awards®.  A tie in the nominations balloting resulted in 11 films being shortlisted.  One hundred twenty-five pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 11 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

 “A Fábrica (The Factory)” - (Grafo Audiovisual)
 “Asad” - (Hungry Man)
 “Buzkashi Boys” -  (Afghan Film Project)
 “Curfew” - (Fuzzy Logic Pictures)
 “Death of a Shadow (Dood van eenSchaduw)”        - (Serendipity Films)
 “Henry” - (Yan England)
 “Kiruna-Kigali” - (Hepp Film AB)
 “The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars” 
     - (Oh! pen LLC)
“9meter” - (M and M Productions A/S)
“Salar” - (Nicholas Greene)
“when you find me"
     - (Freestyle Picture Company)

The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in Los Angeles. 

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 11 titles on the shortlist.  Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented  Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood and Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

ACADEMY AWARDS TO STAY IN HOLLYWOOD!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and CIM Group announced today that the Academy Awards® will remain in Hollywood under a new 20-year deal, confirmed until 2033.

They also announced that, in a separate agreement, Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) will now own the naming rights for the iconic theatre, formerly known as The Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center, and home of the Academy Awards since 2002 -- a showcase of technology innovation. The agreement between CIM and Dolby will be for the same 20 years.

Shaul Kuba, Co-Founder of CIM Group, owners of the Hollywood & Highland Center said about the agreement, “Our ability to swiftly conclude two significant contracts with global entertainment leaders affirms Hollywood as a thriving district, the Dolby Theatre as the ultimate entertainment showcase, and Hollywood & Highland Center as a cornerstone for both the local and entertainment communities.”

Dolby is a global brand and industry leader in creating the best entertainment experiences.  During the term of the Dolby Theatre agreement, which will commence this summer, Dolby will continue the updating of the theatre with innovative, world-class technologies to ensure that the theatre remains state-of-the-art, beginning with the immediate installation of its recently released Dolby® Atmos™ sound technology.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

For 34 consecutive years, films released with Dolby audio technologies have earned Academy Award nominations for outstanding sound quality. The Dolby Theatre features 3,400 seats on four levels and 20 opera boxes, one of the largest stages in the United States with state-of-the-art infrastructure designed for a variety of programming including live broadcast.

CIM Group is a premier real estate fund manager that makes private equity and/or debt investments in urban communities throughout North America, utilizing its full array of investment and operational expertise to maximize returns while mitigating risks. With offices in Los Angeles, Bay Area, Bethesda and New York, CIM has three distinct portfolios each diversified by geography and type of property.

Of the deal, Academy President Tom Sherak said, “The Academy’s Board of Governors believes that the home for our awards is in Hollywood. It is where the Academy and the motion picture industry are rooted. We are pleased to have a new agreement with CIM that will continue our longstanding partnership.”

Millions of Oscar fans around the world will agree, and also be pleased as well because, like movies about the Titanic, the Oscars® will now go on and on.

LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION

CIM Group   Dolby Laboratories   Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences  

What Happens to the Academy Awards If Kodak Files Bankruptcy?

Rumors are flying that the Eastman Kodak Company, founded by the late George Eastman (July 12, 1854 – March 14, 1932) may file for bankruptcy. If the company does, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could lose it's Oscar home over the last 10 years in the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the company based in Rochester, N.Y., agreed to pay $75 million over 20 years for their name on the theater, owned by the CIM Group. With that agreement, Kodak, aligned its company identity each year with the biggest motion picture event in Hollywood.

However, according to sources, if an Academy move does happen, it's not likely until after the 2013 broadcast. Apparently, there are certain clauses in the contract that representatives for Kodak and the Academy are now studying. My former colleagues employed in the accounting offices at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), will probably stay busy at the Academy after this year's awards.

Believe it or not, but the Academy may have outgrown the Kodak Theatre (seats 3,332), and other larger venues have opened in downtown Los Angeles, such as the Nokia Theatre (seats 7,100). On Wall Street, Kodak shares are no longer offered in dollars. At today's close, the price per share was 47 cents. Consequently, Kodak has apparently been warned by the New York Stock Exchange that its stock will be delisted if the price remains below $1 per share for the next six months.

Eastman Kodak has played a vital role in the development of motion pictures in America, helping to set the standard of 35 mm film, and introducing the 16 mm film format for home movies use and low-budget commercial films. Anyone remember Kodacolor, Kodachrome, and Technicolor in three colors?

But their biggest achievement was when the company introduced its first motion picture film designed especially for making sound motion pictures. If anyone knows anything much about American movies, they know that it was cooperation between George Eastman and Harry Warner of Warner Brothers Studios, that made the first synchronized sound, or "talkie," possible.  Eastman Kodak's first sound system for motion pictures was known as Vitaphone.

The movie wasn't a total talkie, but consisted of synchronized sound sequences dispersed within the 1927 black and white movie, The Jazz Singer, which had about 15 minutes of Al Jolsen singing. For more on Eastman Kodak's contribution, for which they have been awarded a number of Academy Awards, click.

Here is an appeal: If you are a investor, i.e., gambler, on Wall Street, please take a gamble on Eastman Kodak. Let's get those share prices up to at least $l.00!

Win Seats for Oscar Red Carpet, Deadline Sunday

Every year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gives tickets for bleacher seats along the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards.  The registration for the drawing closes at midnight ET, this Sunday, September 18, 2011. 

Enter for a chance to win a pair of seats along the red carpet at the 84th Academy Awards®, which will be held on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California. 

All entrants must be 18 years old or older. For compete information and to register, click the title of this post. Good luck!

Do Golden Globes Influence Oscars?

While both races for the Oscars® and Golden Globes® are officially underway, the second biggest awards party in the U.S., the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards Gala will be held first. The date is Sunday, 17 January 2010, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA, and broadcast live on NBC at 8:00 p.m., ET. That will be seven days before the Oscar Nomination ballots are due back at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). The Academy Awards® will be held 7 March 2010.

The Golden Globe nominations were announced in mid-December, and the final ballots were mailed to members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) the same day as the Academy Awards® Nomination ballots. Those final Globe ballots must be received in the Los Angeles offices of the accounting firm of Ernst & Young, Wednesday, 13 January.

For Golden Globe nominees and more, see previous post about the nominations and the Golden Globes Official Website. To find references in this blog, simply type "Golden Globes," or "HFPA" in the search text box at the top left, and click what looks like a magnifying glass at the end of the text box. To access the Website, click the title of this post.

Sponsored by the HFPA and produced by Dick Clark Productions, the Golden Globe Gala will be held this year, as it usually is, before the Oscar Nomination ballots are due back at PWC. Because the Academy Awards are held later than the Globes, each year there is a debate among film critics as how the Globes affect the Oscar nomination process, or if they do.

I have come to believe that the Globes have little impact on the Academy Awards®. Movie critics like to think the Globes do, and that they, the critics, greatly impact both awards, but if the truth be told, and that's what I try to do, critics matter little when it comes to awards. However, I will give them their due by noting that they do seem to have a positive, or negative impact upon the Box Office, depending upon how the majority of critics review a particular movie. Example? This year's AMELIA. A preponderance of critics immediately pummeled it even before it was released. It quickly disappeared from marquees of movie theaters across the country.

Those who vote for the Oscars and those who vote for the Globes are so very different. Therefore, the voting results in these awards are like apples and oranges, as are the ballots of each organization. The fact that the ballots for the Globes and Oscars are different is almost as important as the composition of the voting groups. For example: The members of the HFPA nominate a Best Film in two categories for the Globes, not one: (1) Drama, and (2) Musical or Comedy. There are usually five movies in each of these categories.

The Academy has two Best Film categories, too: Best Feature Motion Picture and Best Foreign Language Film. In both, all feature movies are lumped into one of the categories, regardless of genre. There are usually five nominees in each category. However, this year there will be 10 Best Feature Motion Picture nominees. Actually, the number of films in this category has varied through the years, and this is not the first year that this category will have 10 nominated pictures. It must be noted that the Best Foreign Language Film nominees remain at five nominees.

Members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) are the biggest voting block in the Academy. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association produces and votes for the Golden Globe recipients. Critics don't vote, unless they also happen to be members of the Academy and/or HFPA.

Members of SAG have a different perspective about movies than do the members of the Foreign Press Association. Therefore, as a amateur voter, I have compared the nominations between the two for years. I fill out my ballot from Entertainment Weekly according to how I think I would vote for the Oscars, if I were a member of SAG. For the Golden Globes, as if I were a member of HFPA. Hey. A girl can dream, can't she? Besides, I'm correct about 90% of the time.

Golden Globe Nominations for Film

                                                                      

The nominations for the second annual biggest party in the media electronic Universe, the Golden Globes®, were announced early this morning. The Globes are sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), and honor the press association's choices for both film and television professionals at the same gala. This year, the 67th Golden Globe Awards will be Sunday, 17 January 2010, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, and broadcast live on NBC at 8:00 p.m., EST. Here is the list of nominees in film.

One advantage of the Globe broadcast is that it is leaner, cleaner, tighter and not as long as the top awards show, the Academy Awards®, a.k.a., The Oscars®. One thing I really like about the Globes is that they have two categories for the Best Picture, one in drama and one in comedy and / or musical comedy. That seems more fair, and I with that AMPAS® would do likewise as comedies and musicals often do not get the recognition they deserve. In the Oscar race, drama is everything.

The Globes are all about glitz and glam, attractive actors and actresses. The honorees are the movies the members of the foreign press liked in the current year. HFPA is mostly composed of the male gender and they tend to vote for their favorite "eye candy," both male and female, not necessarily a nominee's professional achievements and skills. Most often, beauty trumps ability.

Also, their choices are influenced upon the feedback the members get from residents of their native countries, who are their viewers, listeners, and/or readers. After all, each person associated with the press wants as many of their fellow country persons to watch the Globe gala as possible.

Unlike the Academy Awards, the voters aren't members of the industry, per sea. They are journalists and lovers of the industry. One night each year they get to show that love at the Golden Globe Gala. The Globes are no longer an event touted as something to see because they are predictors of the upcoming Oscars. The Globes now shine in their own firmament of splendor and fun.

Because the members represent the foreign press there is a much greater emphasis on who and what is "hot" at the very moment they fill out their nomination, or final ballots. However, they venerate older and more experienced actors, actresses, directors, cinematographers and writers, honoring them wherever they can.

This year, director Martin Scorsese will be honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field." He has received two Golden Globe Awards as "Best Director of a Motion Picture" for THE DEPARTED and GANGS OF NEW YORK.

The Globe galas go to places the Oscars dare not go. For instance, this year the host will be Emmy / Golden Globe winner, comedian / actor Ricky Gervais. The Brit is probably best know for his appearances in the TV shows 'Extra' and 'The Office'.

Mavis Spencer, age 18, daughter of Golden Globe winner Alfre Woodard and writer/producer Roderick Spencer is this year's "Miss Golden Globe".

The special will be produced by Dick Clark Productions in association with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Philip Berk is President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Orly Adelson, president of Dick Clark Productions, and Barry Adelman will executive produce the special. Chris Donovan is the director and Dick Clark Productions’ Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production.

Here is the complete list of nominees.

Hollywood Film Festival Honors Announced

Bigelow directs HURT LOCKER

At the 13th annual Hollywood Film Festival (HFF), which will run 21 - 26 October 2009 in Hollywood, director Lee Daniels will receive the "Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award" at the gala Hollywood Awards 26 October. He is the director of what may turn out to be the year's "hottest" movie, PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE. Most recently, Daniels produced MONSTERS BALL and directed SHADOWBOXER. For more about PRECIOUS, see previous posts.

HFF founder and executive director Carlos de Abreu announced that two ladies of cinema, Kathryn Bigelow and Nora Ephron, will receive the Hollywood Director Award and the Hollywood Screenwriter Award, respectively. Bigelow's current directorial endeavor, THE HURT LOCKER, a war film with Iraq as the subject, is receiving critical acclaim. She has been tapped to receive an award at the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards 30 November in New York City. Her previous credits include POINT BREAK, STRANGE DAYS and BLUE STEEL.

Ephron most recently wrote JULIE & JULIA, and her previous works include HEARTBURN, YOU'VE GOT MAIL and BEWITCHED. She received Oscar® nominations for SILKWOOD, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, and SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.

Pete Docter, the director of the Disney/Pixar release UP, which has earned more than $500m worldwide, will receive The Hollywood Animation Award. Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar will take home the Hollywood Visual Effects Award for TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN.

Docter's directorial debut was MONSTERS, INC., earning him an Academy Award® nomination right out of the gate. Then, he received another nomination as screenwriter of WALL-E. He also developed the story and characters for TOY STORY, and wrote the original story treatment for TOY STORY 2. Buena Vista is releasing both films in 3D for a two-week run to qualify them for the Academy Awards. For more about UP and Docter, see previous posts.

Farrar joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1981 as a camera operator on STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN. and was visual effects supervisor on WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. He won the Oscar in 1985 for his effects work on COCOON and since then has received nominations for THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, BACKDRAFT, A.I. ans TRANSFORMERS.

Win Bleacher Seats for Red Carpet

Beginning Monday, 14 September, anyone can enter a random online drawing to be a fan in the bleacher seats flanking the red carpet at the 82nd Academy Awards®. The Awards ceremony will be held on 7 March 2010, in Hollywood, California, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

Registration for this drawing will begin on Monday, 14 September, at noon ET/9 a.m. PT and close on Sunday, 20 September, at midnight ET/9 p.m. PT. Click the title of this post to go to entry page.

SERIES: Upcoming Film Festivals - August Updates

Times BFI London Film Festival





The Times BFI London Film Festival (TBFI) is proud to announce that this year's Festival, the 53rd, will open Wednesday, 14 October with the world premiere of FAMTASTIC MR. FOX from visionary director Wes Anderson (THE ROYAL TENEBAUMS, THE DARJEELING LIMITED). The Festival runs from 14 - 29 October 2009.

MR. FOX is Anderson's first animated film, which he co-wrote with Noah Baumbach. He uses classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children's book by British author Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach). The film features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep (Mr. and Mrs. Fox), Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jarvis Cocker and Helen McCrory.

Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Jason Schwartzman are expected to attend the opening night screening along with other members of the voice cast.

The Closing Night Gala will include the World Premiere of Ecosse Films' NOWHERE BOY, the highly anticipated debut feature from British artist Sam Taylor-Wood. The film is set in Liverpool, England, 1955. A smart and troubled fifteen year-old named John Lennon (newcomer Aaron Johnson) is hungry for experience.

In a family full of secrets, John's buttoned-up Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), who raised him, and his prodigal mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), clash over him. Yearning for a normal family, he escapes into rock n' roll, and finds a kindred spirit in teenager Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie Sangster). Just as John begins his new life, tragedy strikes.

Sam Bell, another newcomer portrays George Harrison alongside a strong supporting cast that includes David Morrissey and David Threlfall. Matt Greenhalgh (CONTROL) wrote the script.

Sam Taylor-Wood has confirmed she will attend the Festival. No word yet on the rest of the cast. The film will release in the UK on 26 December 2009.

The full program for The Festival will be announced at the Press Launch on Wednesday 9 September. The 2009 Festival Web site is not up yet. Click title of this post for Web site.





Sarajevo

The Sarajevo Film Festival (SHFF) announces the juries for the feature, documentary and short films competitions, as well as the jury to select the European short films for the festival. This year is the 15th edition, and it will run from 12 - 20 August.

Festival will host Oscar-winning filmmaker Andrea Arnold, who will present her newest film, FISH TANK in the Open Air Program. American Actor Kevin Spacey, who helped found the Festival is expected to attend again this year. So is UK director Mike Leigh, another Festival sponsor.

Telluride

The 36th Telluride Film Festival (TFF), 4-7 September, 2009, in Telluride, Colorado, presented by National Film Preserve LTD, will present a special program in honor of artist and film critic Manny Farber. "The Celebration of Manny Farber" will include an intimate bookstore signing of The Library of America's September 2009 release, Farber on Film: The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber, with editor Robert Polito and Farber's wife and collaborator, Patricia Patterson.




San Sebastián

Fernando Trueba, winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for BELLE EPOQUE (1992), will present his new film, El baile de la Victoria (The Dancer and the Thief), as part of the Official Selection, out of competition at the Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF).

Belle époque, n., French, Belle = beautiful, époque = era. Usually referring to an era of artistic and cultural refinement in a society, especially in France at the beginning of the 20th century.

For more on Spanish films at the Festival.

Hollywood Film Festival

The 13th annual Hollywood Film Festival (HFF) will run 21 - 26 October, 2009. Web page is up, and they are calling for entries.

Nine Foreign Language Films Advance in Oscar® Race

Nine films on this shortlist will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 81st Academy Awards®. Sixty-five films originally qualified in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Austria, REVANCHE (Revenge), Gotz Spielmann, director;
Canada, THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE, Benoit Pilon, director;
France, THE CLASS, Laurent Cantet, director;
Germany, THE BAADER MEINHJOF COMPLEX, Uli Edel, director;
Israel, WAlTZ WITH BASHIR, Ari Folman, director;
Japan, DEPARTURES, Yojiro Takita, director;
Mexico, TEAR THIS HEART OUT, Roberto Sneider, director;
Sweden, EVERLASTING MOMENTS, Jan Troell, director;
Turkey, 3 MONKEYS, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2008 are determined in two phases. The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 65 eligible films between mid-October and January 10. That group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute this shortlist.

The provision for the Executive Committee to augment the first short list was added last year because certain films that were eligible, and had received a number of awards, were completely overlooked by the first committee. Main case in point was the Romania movie, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS, directed by Cristian Mungiu. Among its many awards was best film at Cannes, 2007. I am happy to see that at least four in the above list are, indeed on this short list, especially THE CLASS from France, which won best film at Cannes last May.

The other three are THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, WALTZ WITH BASHIR (won Golden Globe this past week for BFLF), and 3 MONKEYS. In THE CLASS (Entre les murs), French teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself teaching a year with a racially mixed class in a tough Parisian neighborhood.

MEINHOF COMPLEX concerns Germany's terrorist group, The Red Army Faction (RAF), which organized bombings, robberies, kidnappings and assassinations in the late 1960s and '70s. Based on Stefan Aust's best-selling nonfiction book. In BASHIR, a young man tells the film's director about being chased by 26 vicious dogs. A family with problems refuses to hear, see, or talk about them, so they are like the 3 MONKEYS (Üç maymun) in the well-known bric-a-brac.

In Phase Two of the nomination procedure for this category, specially selected committees in New York and Los Angeles will winnow this list to five eligible for nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film (BFLF). The number of originally qualified films allows for a maximum of five nominees in the BFLF category. The committee members will spend this Friday, Saturday and Sunday viewing three of the films each day

The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, 22 January 2009, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, 22 February 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

SLUMDOG Tops Golden Globes 2009

SLUMDOG is Top Dog at Globes


SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, the Hollywood Bollywood-inspired fantasy movie filmed in Mumbai, India, received four Golden Globes at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's (HFPA) Golden Globes Gala Sunday night. Not only did SLUMDOG win the Best Motion Picture Award, drama, the director (Danny Boyle), screenwriter (Simon Boufoy), and musical score composer (A.R. Rahman), all took home a Globe.

This is what I wrote about SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE in my post on this blog 12/12/2008, exactly one month before the Golden Globes Gala, in regards to the nominations: "In addition, the 'little movie that might,' SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, received a best picture (drama) nomination, and the director Danny Boyle received a best director nomination. SLUMDOG also received a best original score nomination for composer A. R. Rahman. This movie has been picked up by Fox Searchlight. Pay attention to it."

SLUMDOG could be the mighty little independent movie in the Oscar race this year. Think LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, JUNO, etc. SLUMDOG bested the heavyweight nominees THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJIMIN BUTTON (Brad Pitt), FROST/NIXON (directed by Ron Howard), REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (Winslet and DeCaprio), and THE READER (Winslet, again).

BENJAMIN BUTTON, FROST/NIXON and DOUBT all tied with five nominations, but went home sans statuette. So did actress Meryl Streep, having been nominated for best actress in DOUBT (drama) and MAMA MIA! (musical/comedy). However, there were delights with some of the other winners such as actress Kate Winslet. Nominated five times before in the acting category she had won nothing, and this year she hit a double. She received Globes in the drama category for best supporting actress as a Nazi concentration camp guard in THE READER, and the best actress for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, the latter directed by her husband Sam Mendes.

Two other big winners for the evening were actors Collin Farrell and Mickey Rourke. Farrell won best actor, musical/comedy, for his portrayal of a hit man in the weakly distributed, IN BRUGES. It is available now on DVD. I saw it and highly recommend it.

Rourke, who makes a spectacular comeback in the comeback drama THE WRESTLER, won best actor, drama. I was not surprised that Rourke knocked out the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road), Frank Langella (Frost / Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), and Brad Pitt (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button). In the before-mentioned post I wrote, "However, the one to watch in this category is Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)."

Director Woody Allen, in my humble opinion, richly deserves VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA'S win as best musical/comedy motion picture, while the big surprise of the evening was British actress Sally Hawkins' win as best actress, musical/comedy, for her Pollyanna-like role in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, directed by Mike Leigh.

The win by the animated movie from Israel, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, is an odd choice for Best Foreign Language Film, but the HFPA may not be out in left field about this award-winning animated movie.

The late actor Heath Ledger was honored posthumously for the Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT. There is speculation about an Oscar repeat for Ledger. Only one actor has won a posthumous best-actor Oscar, and that is Peter Finch for NETWORK, 1976.

Of, course, I can't forget Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen who won the best song in a motion picture for THE WRESTLER'S "The Wrestler".

Congratulations to director / producer Stephen Spielberg, this year's recipient of the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award! Now, the big question is, "Are the winners of the Gold Globe Awards precursors of the upcoming Oscars?"

Motion Picture Winners (Sunday, 11 January 2009)

Best Motion Picture - Drama: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy: VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Best Animated Feature: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film: WALTZ WITH BASHIR, Israel, Animated

Best Performance by an Actress - Drama: KATE WINSLET (Revolutionary Road)
Best Performance by an Actor - Drama: MICKEY ROURKE
Best Performance by an Actress - Musical/Comedy: SALLY HAWKINS (Happy-Go-Lucky)
Best Performance by an Anctor - Musical/Comedy: COLIN FARRELL (IN BRUGES)
Best Performance by an Actress in a supporting role: KATE WINSLET (The Reader)
Best Performance by an Actor in a supporting role: HEATH LEDGER (The Dark Knight)

Best Director - Motion Picture: DANNY BOYLE (Slumdog Millionaire).
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: SIMON BEAUFOY (Slumdog Millionaire).
Best Original Musical Score - Motion Picture: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, Composed by A. R. Rahman.
Best Original Song - Motion Picture: THE WRESTLER, Music & Lyrics by: Bruce Springsteen.

To see all the winners and nominees for motion pictures and television CLICK.

Golden Globes® Gala Tonight

The second annual biggest party in the electronic Universe, the Golden Globes Gala, sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), is back tonight after a horrible makeshift televised awards program last year. More than 50 Hollywood stars are confirmed as presenters.

Steven Spielberg will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field." He was scheduled to receive it last year, but the HFPA postponed it due to the scaled down event.

The HFPA Golden Globes honor their choices for both the film and television professionals at the same gala. So, welcome back HFPA. I, among many others, missed the glitz and glam last year.

There is no doubt that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association suffered financial loss and the honorees lost valuable "buzz" because the gala was canceled due to the Writers Guild strike. The HFPA promises that the 66th annual gala tonight, broadcast on NBC (8-11 EST), will be bigger and better. The Globe nominations are a roster of the hot and new films, actors, technical achievements, etc.

Because the members represent the foreign press there is a much greater emphasis on who and what is hot at the very moment they fill out their nomination, or final, ballots. Their choices are often based on the feedback the members get from residents of their native countries. After all, they want as many of their fellow country persons to watch as possible.

One advantage of the Globe broadcast is that it is leaner, cleaner, tighter, and not as long, as the top awards show, the Academy Awards®, a.k.a., The Oscars. In the past, one disadvantage was the members seemed to nominate and vote for their favorite "eye candy," not necessarily upon the film or nominee's professional achievements and skills.

The Golden Globes broadcast has been increasing the number of countries and cities where it is broadcast, undoubtedly helped by Internet broadcast. In other words, what fifteen years ago was a little step child of the Oscars is no longer.

It's a big self-sufficient grownup player. One thing evident is that the members of the foreign press are becoming more knowledgeable about cinematic arts and less into voting for that "eye candy".

However, I'm sure there will be lots of hot new eye candy, and they venerate those older actors, actresses, directors, cinematographers and writers, honoring them whenever they can. They don't wait until the film professionals are 80 years old, or almost on their deathbed to do it.

Check the Links Relevant at the bottom of this post to quickly find some information that will increase your viewing pleasure.

For quick access to posts on this blog you can sign up for an Atom instant notice when Mimi makes a post. Look at the top of the right sidebar under "Profile" for Atom.

LINKS RELEVANT:

Yahoo article about Globes Gala tonight.

Mimi's Quick Links to helpful info about tonight at the Golden Globes' Gala.

Link to Mimi's previous post about the 66th Golden Globes on "Mimi at the Movies" blog.

Private Golden Globes Web Site with archive of previous winners.

HFPA Site.

281 Feature Films Vie for 2008 Oscar® Nominations

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has certified 281 feature films eligible for the Academy Award® for Best Picture of 2008, and only five will be nominated to compete. Participants in these films are eligible for other Oscar nominations such as Best Director, Best Actress, Best Costumes, etc.

To be eligible for 81st Academy Awards® consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, 31 December and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days. Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category.

Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format. See the full list (in .pdf) of 281 films, and read more about the rules, by clicking the title of this post.

The 81st Oscar nominations will be announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Thursday, 22 January 2009, at in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, 22 February 2009, in the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

2008 Oscar® Nomination Ballots Mailed

Ballots for Oscar nominations for the 81st Academy Awards® are being mailed today to the 5,810 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The deadline for ballots, which must be returned to the office of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is 5 p.m. Monday, 12 January. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted. The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, 22 January, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Nomination and final award ballots are tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers to ensure that all aspects of the balloting process are conducted with fairness and accuracy. Prior to mailing, the PricewaterhouseCoopers staff administers a thorough verification process to ensure that there are no duplicate ballots and that none are missing. In addition to being counted and sorted, the ballots are numbered to guarantee that each one is addressed to the appropriate Academy voter.

The 81st Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, 22 February 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Duplicate Capra Oscar® Returned to Army

Duplicate statuette and PRELUDE TO WAR poster on display at ceremony returning Oscar statuette to the Department of the Army, 3 September 2008. Photo: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

A duplicate of an Oscar statuette earned by director Frank Capra’s acclaimed 1942 documentary PRELUDE TO WAR, the first film in the United States Army Special Services’ seven-picture “Why We Fight” series, was removed from the auction block by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy President Sid Ganis returned the statuette to the care of the U.S. Army in a special ceremony yesterday.

The duplicate statuette was requested by and granted to the Department of Defense in 1958 in connection with a special exhibition. In the years following the exhibition, the award was in the care of the Army Pictorial Center. The original Oscar for Best Documentary of 1943, PRELUDE TO WAR, remains in the care of the Capra family.

The Army Pictorial Center closed in 1970. Academy officials, who monitor auction houses, on-line sales, and other sales outlets, saw that Christie's auction house was offering the statuette for sale. The Army asserted its claim on the Award immediately after being notified by the Academy. Exactly what happened to the statuette between 1970 and 2008 is unknown, but the auction house was pleased to return the statuette to the Army.

Frank Capra (L) and John Ford during World War II, undated.
Photo courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library.

The “Why We Fight” films, directed by then-Major Frank Capra (IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, 1946) are widely recognized as the most effective of the many films produced by the armed services to educate Americans in general, and new servicemen in particular, about the nation’s objectives in entering WWII.

“We are very grateful that the Academy contacted us and has returned the Oscar to the U.S. Army. . . . The award will be proudly and prominently displayed at the Department of the Army Headquarters for Public Affairs Office at the Pentagon for all to see," said Brigadier General Jeffrey E. Phillips, Deputy Chief of Public Affairs.

TRIVIA NOTE from Mimi: Frank Capra (18 May 1897, Sicily - 3 September 1991, Palm Springs, CA)

Actually, Frank Capra was not credited on PRELUDE TO WAR, the official World War II US Government film made for distribution to the American public. It defines the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought. It was made at a time when the war was going badly for the USA, 1942. The entire "Why We Fight" series, directed by Frank Capra, was placed on the National Film Registry, National Film Preservation Board, USA, in 2000.

Capra's first studio feature film after returning from his Army film assignment was IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, etc. He won three Oscars for directing in the 1930's for YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN and IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. Ironically, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE was nominated for five Oscars, including directing, but won none.

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, also starring Jimmy Stewart, was nominated for 10 Oscars in 1940, including Stewart and Capra, but only Lewis R. Foster received one for writing the original story.

Capra has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but never received a lifetime achievement Oscar from the Academy. His last movie was the 1961 POCKETFULL OF MIRACLES.

I met him at the La Quinta Resort, Palm Springs, CA, about 1984. I was there working with a partner's meeting for what was then Price Waterhouse. I was distributing credentials for the evening parties, when a casually dressed older gentleman, only slightly taller than I, walked up to me and asked, "May I come to the parties."

I knew he was not part of the seminar and asked, "What is your name?"

"Frank Capra. Do you think you could get me in?"

I was stunned for a moment, and then recognized him as, indeed, one of the Hollywood directors that I most admired. I replied, "I'm not sure, Mr. Capra, these are private parties, but I'll be happy to ask my boss."

"Oh," he said, "I was just kidding, but thank you."

He gave me a card with only the number of his residence at La Quinta. The next day, I knocked on the door at the time he had indicated.

Mr. Capra answered, invited me in, and I visited with him for about an hour. We exchanged pleasantries and talked in generalities - - families, current movies, current events, about his life at La Quinta, my work at Price Waterhouse, etc.

Although tempted, I never asked him any questions. He seemed very pleased about the visit and invited me to visit him again the next time I was at the resort. Much to my regret, due to circumstances in my life that were beyond my control, I never returned to La Quinta.