THE ARTIST Gets Top Honors from Screen Actor, Director, and Producer Guilds

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS (SAG) 2012

Jean DuJardin and Bérénce Bejo, The Artist

The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) were presented January 29, 2012, from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The 2012 SAG Awards ceremony honored the outstanding performances by actors in 2011. The awards gala was simulcast live on TNT and TBS.

 One of the highlights of the evening was Mary Tyler Moore receiving the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor an actor receives from SAG. Moore, 75, got her big break when she starred as Laurie Petrie in the 1960s CBS sitcom opposite Dick Van Dyke in the show carrying his name. However, she hit her stride as Mary Richards in her own TV show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show with the likes of Betty White and Edward Asner. It premiered on CBS in 1970, and ran seven years.

In addition, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation announced last week that Alec Baldwin is SAG's first Ambassador, a new position designed to draw attention to the national non-profit organization, and its ongoing work as a vital, humanitarian support system within the acting community. For more about Ambassador Baldwin and his duties, click here.

Motion Picture Nominees and Winners (*):

Male Actor, Lead
 *JEAN DuJARDIN, The Artist
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Male Actor, Supporting
 *CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, Beginners
Kenenth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior

Female Actor, Lead
 *VIOLA DAVIS, The Help
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Female Actor, Supporting
 *OCTAVIA SPENCER, The Help
Bérénce Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Cast in a Motion Picture
*THE ARTIST
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris

For all nominees and winners, including television, click title of this post for SAG Official Website, and/or click here for Eonline.

DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS (DGA) 2012

The 64th Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards were presented in Hollywood, California, Saturday, January 28th, 2012, in a televised gala hosted by actor Kelsey Grammer. 
 

The 64th Annual Directors Guild Of America nominees with award winners (*), for those awards that have some relevance to movies - - -

Feature Motion Picture:

*MICHAEL HAZANAVICIUS, The Artist
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Movies for Television and Mini-Series:
*JEFF BLECKNER, Hallmark Hall of Fame, "Beyond The Blackboard"
Jon Cassar, The Kennedys
Stephen Gyllenhaal, Girl Fight
Demi Moore, Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Spheeris, Alicia Keys, Patty Jenkins, Lifetime's "Five"
Michael Stevens, Thurgood

Documentary:
*JOE BERLINGER and BRUCE SINOFSKY, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Steve James, The Interrupters
James Marsh, Project Nim
Richard Press, Bill Cunningham New York
Martin Scorsese, George Harrison: Living in the Material World

Musical Variety:

*GLENN WEISS, 65th Annual Tony Awards
Louis J. Horvitz, The Kennedy Center Honors
Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live With Host Justin Timberlake
Don Mischner, 83rd Annual Academy Awards
Chuck O'Neil, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Episode #16070

For all nominees and winners, includng television, click here, or Director's Guild Official Website.

 

PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS (PGA) 2012

Here's one I missed posting. The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture and television productions at the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards' ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, Saturday, January 21, 2012.

The 2012 Producers Guild nominated films, with winners (*), are listed below in alphabetical order by category, along with producers. The producers’ names listed for each nominated production are listed in alphabetical order and are not necessarily the proper order of credits.

The theatrical motion picture nominees and winners, with producer(s), are:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures - -
 
    *THE ARTIST -  Thomas Langmann;

    Bridesmaids - Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend;
    The Descendants - Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor;
    The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin; 

    The Help - Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green;
    Hugo - Graham King, Martin Scorsese;
    The Ides of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver;
    Midnight in Paris - Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum;
    Moneyball - Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt;
    War Horse - Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg.

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures - -
 
   *THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN - Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg;
    Cars 2 - Denise Ream;
    Kung Fu Panda 2 - Melissa Cobb;
    Puss In Boots - Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
    Rango - John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski.
 

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures - -
 
   * BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - Debra Koffler, Frank Mele, Edward Parks, Michael Rapaport;
    Bill Cunningham New York - Philip Gefter;
    Project Nim - Simon Chinn;
    Senna - James Gay-Rees;
    The Union - Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek.

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television, which  encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series - -

 The Cast of Downton Abbey 

  * "DOWNTON ABBEY" (Masterpiece) (PBS) - Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame;
    "Cinema Verite” (HBO) - Zanne Devine, Karyn McCarthy;
    "The Kennedys” (ReelzChannel) - Jon Cassar, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Kronish, Steve Michaels, Michael Prupas, Jamie Paul Rock, Joel Surnow;
    "Mildred Pierce” (HBO) - Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Ilene S. Landress, Christine Vachon;
    "Too Big To Fail” (HBO) - Carol Fenelon, Jeffrey Levine, Paula Weinstein.

To see the winners in the television categories that are not in long form see the PGA Official Website. See the previous post on this blog for all Oscar nominations.

 

 
Christopher Plummer - from Sound of Music to The Beginners!

Cast of The Help 

Octavia Spencer, Minny (2nd from left) and Viola Davis, Aibileen  (far right).

Jessica Chastain, Celia (far left) Emma Stone, Skeeter (btw 
 Spencer and Davis).

SEE THE RED CARPET FASHION SHOW, CLICK HERE.

First Female Director Wins DGA Top Prize

SERIES: Hollywood Guild Awards and Oscars®

 
Kathryn Bigelow

Director Kathryn Bigelow won the 2009 Director's Guild of America's Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for THE HURT LOCKER Saturday, 30 January. The 62nd Annual DGA Awards Dinner held in the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles made cinema history.

Bigelow is the first female director to win the top DGA award. Director Norman Jewison received the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction.

Some movie pundits are speculating that the race for the Oscar has anointed a leader for Best Motion Picture of 2009 before the announcement of the Oscar® nominees Tuesday, which is the official "starting gun" for the race. Saturday, the DGA top prize went to director Bigelow and her movie THE HURT LOCKER. The war drama set in Iraq also took the best film honors at the Producers Guild last week.

The top award was presented to Bigelow by director Danny Boyle, who won the same award with his movie SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE last year. Each went on to win an Academy Award®. As a matter of fact, in the 60 years this award has been given, the DGA winner has gone on to win the best picture Oscar in 54 of 60 years.

Not only is Kathryn Bigelow the first woman to get this DGA award, no female has ever won an Oscar for directing. This year Begelow could possibly win two Oscars, directing and best picture. After all, she is one of the ex-wives of director James Cameron, and in all fairness, he has supported her efforts in this project.

The award for outstanding directorial achievement in documentary went to Louie Psihoyos for THE COVE, about the clandestine slaughter of dolphins in Japan. In television, 'Mad Men' and 'Modern Family' received the best series nods, and best made for TV movie went to TAKING CHANCE, directed by Ross Katz.

For a full list of winners, click here.

For more about Kathryn Bigelow, click title of this post.

Writers' Strike May End Monday

The New York Times is reporting this morning that the governing boards of the two writers’ guilds (WGA, West and WGA, East) are expected to meet as early as tomorrow, and the long and bitter strike could be over by Monday morning. They released a written agreement between the WGA and AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) negotiating committees upon which the WGA membership at large will vote. Read the proposed agreement here (pdf.)

After a self-imposed news blackout, the Guild let it be known yesterday (Friday) that the east and west divisions were in talks with AMPTP and, if they agreed, Guild members might be able to vote as early as Sunday (tomorrow), or Monday, to end the strike.

Earlier his month, the Directors Guild of American (DGA) reached a hand-shake agreement with AMPTP. Their members are scheduled to vote on ratifying that agreement 20 February. The question is: Will DGA ratify that agreement, or will they now consider the terms of the WGA - AMPTP agreement and vote to reject? If they do the latter, negotiations must start over.

Next up to negotiate with AMPTP? The Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Their agreement with AMPTP expires in June. SAG has steadfastly supported the WGA, most notably declining to participate in the 80th Academy Awards® broadcast.

That brings us to the next question. If the WGA ends the strike on Monday or so, how will that affect the Oscars®? The way I understand the communications I receive from the Academy, the cut-off date to proceed with the full Oscar telecast as usual, which will include the presence of the host (Jon Stewart), presenters, recipients, etc., or the glam and bling, is this Thursday, Valentine's Day. That's the date the service people (caterers, florists, waiters, etc.), and the craft guilds (carpenters, painters, lighting technicians, camera operators, stage hands, costumers, etc.) have set as the absolute date they must be authorized to deliver what the Academy will require on the 24th. In other words, AMPAS fully commits on the 14th to pay for the ordered services, and the support services will have the needed time to deliver same.

So, the final answer is, "The 80th Academy Awards can only be 'fully greenlighted,' if the strike is officially over by this Thursday (14th)." Otherwise, there will be that "other show," on the 24th, which Gil Cates does not want to produce, and most will not want to watch.

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.