But lameness is obviously an advantage for the best picture Oscar competition. Now that "Little Miss Sunshine" has won the Screen Actors Guild best ensemble prize, it's more than likely to repeat last year's "Crash" phenomenon, when the weakest intellectually and aesthetically of the five top Academy Award nominees won the Big O.
Not that LMS isn't a funny, ever-so-meekly subversive little entertainment ("Crash" was a nice little gimmick movie, too). It's just not about real people or anything truly meaningful, and its smidgen of formal ambition amounts to a couple of frames' worth of "Babel," "The Departed" or "Iwo Jima." Hell, even "The Queen" was exponentially better shot and staged - with writing and acting and, yes, comedy that left the SAG winner in the dust like a broken-down van on a desert road.
Now the big question is, when LMS conquers the Kodak on February 25, are people finally going to stop taking this whole ridiculously capricious Oscar business seriously? Probably not, even though, if this does come to pass, the lame-os who actually vote for the things will have proven for the umpteenth time that they don't take movies seriously at all.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So the Screen Actors Guild gave its best film ensemble prize to a movie that was sent out on DVD to all its members... for the second year in a row. Did that influence the win for "Little Miss Sunshine"? Hard to say. Guess you'd have to poll a significant sampling of the 110,000 SAG members, including those who may be unusually grateful for a free copy of a movie.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The announcer backstage introduced Helen Mirren's second appearance. Instead of the grand dame of the evening, in walks milquetoast publicist Stan Rosenfield, carrying her two Actor statuettes and setting them down on the podium. Later, Steve Carell, the dual winner for "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Office," swabbed his brow as he toted two beefy bronze figures.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Little Miss Sunshine" beat the casts of "Bobby," "Dreamgirls" "The Departed" and "Babel" to win the evening's top prize. Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin were on hand to accept and Kinnear lifted Breslin up to the microphone to say a few words. Very cute.
Kinnear thanked the movie's co-directors who were shut out of the Oscar race. But "Sunshine" should be considered the Oscar favorite since it won the Producers Guild of America prize a few weeks ago. Last year, "Brokeback Mountain" was the front-runner until "Crash" ensemble upset it to win top ensemble.
So, "Sunshine" could win best picture and Martin Scorsese can finally get his Oscar for "The Departed." I think that's how it might go.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In another category identical to the Oscar race, Forest Whitaker takes home leading actor prize for his performance as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." He gave a nearly incoherent speech at the Golden Globes but was far better this time around after a shaky start.
"I want to thank you for allowing me to have a moment like this...to help me be able to continue to express myself as an artist. Thank yoiu from the bottom of my heart."

Mirren won for "The Queen" and said it was "an incredible night for me personally."
The actress said that when she first walked into wardrobe and saw "all those sensible shoes and tweed skirts, I cried. I can't playt anyone who chooses to wear those clothes. I just can't do it."
The audience laughs then Mirren adds that she "learned to love that person" and paid tribute to the Queen of England for her discipline and dedication to duty.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Somebody from the cast of "The Office" mentioned backstage that they spend 60 hours a wek together in an office. That brought on the first "Duh" question of the night: "What do you do in those 60 hours on the clock?" Rainn Wilson calmly explained the process of making a TV series. Whoever asked that question must have been completely lost in the Mirren/Irons discussions about acting.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a category identical to the Oscar field, "Dreamgirls" star Jennifer Hudson took home the best supporting actress award and said: "What a welcome! (It is her FIRST movie!) I'd like to thank God for this moment." She thanked her castmates and said "I was able to work with and learn from the best." She thanked director Bill Condon: "Thank you for believing in me when I did not believe in myself."
And to her fellow SAG members she said: "Thank you for noticing little ol' me and accepting me."
Next stop: Oscar night!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Isaiah Washington mess did not hurt 'em. But Ellen Pompeo is a pretty sucky award accepter. Next time, let Dempsey speak!
"We love this category more than you know," she began.
OK, so far, so good.
But instead of mentioning the 10 cast members present and behind her on stage, Pompeo chooses to focus on those who are not.
" I think because this category is ensemble, it is worth mentioning the members of our cast who arent here. Kate Burton. Um, um, um help me! Isaiah Washington...Um..."
Good job Ellen...NOT!!!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

He beat Sutherland and Michael C. Hall among others. Tough category!
Laurie, the star of Fox's "House" was a popular winner and said that being a successful actor and winning awards "It's not so much about whether you do good work, it's about whether you get a chance to do good work."
"It's a phenomenal honor...I know it will pass quickly, it might have already passed while I'm standing here."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everyone looks shocked!
"It's about those 10 actors sitting over there (points to Grey's Anatomy cast) and the other one in rehab!" (Isaiah Washington, in gayhab)
She is all over the place. Thanks family. Agent. Friends.
"Look with this skin and this nose and these arms and this height! I'm here! Thank you Screen actors Guild for taking me as I am!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just kidding! Julie is dressed like a big star and at 71, looks like time started standing still right around "Victor/Victoria" about 25 years ago. Her "Mary Poppins" co-star Dick Van Dyke is here to take part in the presentation of a lifetime achievement award for Julie as is Anne Hathaway, with whom she appeared in the two "Princess Diairies" flicks.

Says Hathaway: "She's not only a dear friend and colleague...she was also a patient, generous and wise mentor, and I might add, a helluva lot of fun." Julie blows her a kiss from her seat and the audience stands up and goes into a standing ovation that threatens to go on a long time.
Hathaway, showing all the pluck of her character in "The Devil Wears Prada" says: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for honoring Julie Andrews, but there IS more."
Now they are showing all the clips of Julie singing in "Camelot" and "My Fair Lady." She got robbed of those movie roles after nailing them on Broadway.
Now "Poppins" clips are on. Think about it. Was Mary Poppins really such a good nanny? She had those kids do some dodgy things. But whatever. Now "The Sound of Music" clips are on and "The Hiiilllls are aliiiive" and I feel sad that she can't sing like that anymore after that botched throat operation.
I didn't know she was an advocate for the UN. She really is a saint! And she is a Dame! Queen Elizabeth II gave her that honor. I think it's kind of like being a Knight?
Now out comes the ageless Dick Van Dyke. Cool!
"I never got over being toingue tied...thaqt beauty and elegange was always a little daunting to me." "They didn't break any mold with Julie, there was no mold. She is the one and only."

Now Julie is taking the stage to the "Hills Are Alive" music and everyone is standing again. I have a lump in my throat. Gulp.
Julie says: "I am so grateful to be part of a guld that reaches out and goes one step beyond its tremendous responsiblities." my career has just been filled with good fortune. amazing mentors...and what about those delicious leading men? (Paul Newman, Omar Sharif, Rock Hudson etc). Pays tribute to hubby Blake Edwards.
"I have so much joy in my work...and you, ladies and gentlemen have just given me an evening that I will cherish all my life."

What a lady!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eddie is REALLY the Oscar front-runner now.
He took the stage and said: "What a tremendous honors to be regonzied for ones peers. I've been acting for 25 years now," he said in a faux British accent. Then he started laughing. Eddie said when the Brits (like Mirren and Jeremy Irons) accept their trophies, "they are so smooth. I feel goofy up here. Thank you Bill Condon for directing and putting me in your wonderful movie."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jeremy Irons and Helen Mirren held forth backstage on the differences between British actors and Americans, that being the Brits' solid background in stage work and American actors' gifts for playing to the camera, and the often confusing distinctions between lead and supporting roles. Can I get college credit for this?
Mirren does sound more than a tad bitter, though, about the fact that all the awards recognition for "The Queen" has come from this side of the pond, not her home turf. Is the wrath of the real Elizabeth that frightening that BAFTA fears retribution for supporting a film that does not entirely flatter the queen?
Seems she would prefer to win "the mother of all film awards," the Oscar, than accept an invitation to tea at Buckingham Palace anyway.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who cares about the winner? The presenters are MTM, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Ed Asner, Gavin Mcleod, Betty White and Gorgia Engel. Wow! Mary said, "The gang's all here!" They got a prolonged and heartfelt standing ovation. I love Mary. I could cry.
Steve Carell said as he got the trophy from Mary:"This is quite an honor having these people present this to us. I was craining my neck,'Oh my God! Oh there she is!'"
"It's truly a great honor and we will treasure this."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alec Baldwin won for "30 Rock" as he did a few weeks ago at the Globe. He said: "This is a real honor. I'm really proud to be a member of this union."

America Ferrera, who won for "Ugly Betty," was far more composed than at the Globes when she cried a lot. This time she said to the star-studded audience: "I look out and see faces that have moved me and inspired me my entire life."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Ugly Betty" star America Ferrara is getting the statues to go with all the critical kudos and ratings. She was every bit as classy in her acceptance speech as Betty is unpolished. "We share a common knowledge of struggle and rejection and success," she said of her fellow SAG members. Sweet and on point.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Can't believe Jeremy Irons claims he feels like "a plumber" whenever he arrives on a set. Even though he blew his opening joke (and will never be cast as a New Yorker because of his accent skills), he can show the room a thing or two about genuine race in an acceptance speech.
If you're keeping score, that's Brits 2, USA 0.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mirren has just scored her first award of the night for HBO's "Elizabeth I." And she's the odds-on favorite for her performance as Elizabeth II in the feature "The Queen." If (or when) she wins her second award of the night, it'll be the first dual win for playing British monarchs named Elizabeth. It's the kind of record baseball statisticians just love.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The show has started and the audio is not working. We're left to read lips. Aaaaggghhhh...

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

She's gonna need a new room in her house just for her trophies won this year alone. She has won for "Elizabeth I." Said tis means more to her than any other coming from actors (pul-eeze, the Oscar won't b e chopped liver!). She looks stunning tonight, totaql babe, especially for a 61 year old woman. Poor Annette Benning, so good in "Mrs. Harris," loses to Mirren. First category also featured nominee Shirley Jones who was among those who opened the telling early actor stories. She has had her SAG card for 53 years! Cloris Leachman, 80, was also nominated in a stellar category. Both Jones and Leachman may have lost, but they have Oscars on their shelves at home to make cheer them up!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oh, what I've been through. Total techical nightmare that required me to dictate my red carpet ramblings to a very patient Armando Hernandez who I work with. He was great! Now I'm in a dimly lit deadline room (cannot see a bloody thing!) getting ready for this thing to get going!
Before leaving the red carpet, in one eyeful, I saw Mary Tyler Moore getting ohotgraphed by te throngs of photogs, Megan Mullally standing nearby beaming. Maybe she didn't want to do that damned talk show anymore anyway! And Julie Andrews is a few feet away from Mary. It's a a "Thoroughly Modern Millie" reunion! All they need is Carol Channing!
Some Grey's Anatomy stars like Sara Ramirez and Katherine Heigl did interviews but Ellen Pompeo just posed for pics as far as I could see and Sandra Oh and Patrick Depmsey sailed by fan and press. T.R. Knight is here tho! Good for him. No sign of Isaiah Washington, he's still in "gayhab."
OK, show is starting!!!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

... or to pick up the awards-season hardware that leads to more $. We're told that some studios were inspired by the success of "Crash" last year to follow its lead and send out DVD screeners of "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Departed" and "Venus" to all 110,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild to encourage their support on the ballot. If one of these three wins the ensemble or lead prizes tonight, it might just be worth the $500,000 investment for DVDs and shipping. We'll leave it to the accountants and lawyers to decide whether such a move is worth the high risk of piracy.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: When "My Name is Earl," star Jason Lee arrived looking a little shaggy the announcer said "This guy hasn't shaved since the season started!"

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher just walked in, sending the bleacher crowd in to a frenzy. But that was nothing compared to the reception for nominee Jennifer Hudson of "Dreamgirls." Hudson is wearing a vintage plum-colored gown and showing lots of cleavage, she waves to the fans and just missed runnning into Mirren at the ET boot by a fraction of a second...also causing excitment was super couple Warren Beatty - and his nominee wife, Annette Bening....
But for some, the reception is so-so: Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco is looking lovely but virtually ignored by the major news outlets...Tim Olyphant of Deadwood got a lukewark reception to fit the lukewarm response to his new movie "Catch and Release" which opened Friday. To his credit, Tim smiled and appeard upbeat anyway...

Just arriving are Eddie Murphy, Leo DiCaprio, Helen Mirren, all oscar-nominees....Marsha Gay Harden just walked by me, teetering on gold pumps. I hope she doesn't fall when she walks on the red carpet...

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oooh, a goodie bag! For us? How exciting!
I opened this little zippered purse (with a silver lining, the better to keep your Lean Cuisine cold at your desk until lunchtime), and found two candy bars and a rather hefty bottle of Listerine rinse. Next to the coffee urns, more Listerine pocket packs than anybody could ever need. Are they a major sponsor? Or is this just because it's flu season?

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera - who's is looking more like "Gorgeous Betty" in an Emerald-green gown...fans in the bleachers go nuts

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: Non-ignored are red carpet super-couple Kevin Bacon Kyra Sedgwick , who is nominated tonight....

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: Screen Actors Guild President Alen Rosenberg walked in and was not even announced. Everyone was paying attention to his wife, CSI star Marg Helgenberger ...'24' star Jean Smart arrived to loud cheers that virtually ignored her husband Richard who co-starred with her in "Designing Women"...

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: There's plenty of younger stars here...there's Will Smith! His wife Jada is wearing a stunning pink gown..she always looks perfect.

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: Alec Baldwin is being interviewd by ET. Helen Hunt just walked by looking great and Michael C. Hall has just arrived...great cheers, he's got a new hair style that I don't quite understand. More in a bit...

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greg Hernandez on the Red Carpet: Here's my best sighting so far: Mary Tyler Moore! Mary looks great...she's getting more cheers from the audience than those younger stars.

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've just decided I would never want the job of the guy who announces the celebrities as they (clear security and) step out on the red carpet. The poor schnook must have fumbled his cheat sheet because he called "Numb3rs" star David Krumholtz "Josh Krumholtz." Anybody's capable of screwing up a name, but this guy just did it in a very loud, drawn-out, "tah dah!' voice. If he made a correction, it was very quiet.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gregg Kinnear and Steve Correll just walked right by me...virtually 2 feet away from me...didn't even bother to say "hello"

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

T.R. Knight of "Grey's Anatomy" just arrived outside, and he was greeted by a roar that one hopes did not include any slurs about his sexual orientation. Still waiting to hear whether co-star Isaiah Washington was allowed one night's liberty from his in-patient treatment for -- what? -- a mouth that works much faster than his brain?

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

... because you need to be damn near starving to really enjoy the food they serve backstage at most awards shows. Yeah, I know we shouldn't complain too much because it is free. On the other hand, we're pretty much captive inside the Shrine Auditorium for hours on end, so feeding us keeps us civilized. Can anyone explain,though, why a catering company that heaps so many sandwiches in a basket that they end up about a quarter inch thick bothers to place business cards on the buffet? Oh yeah, that's just what I want to treat my guests to at my next catered affair.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Women of a certain age (whatever that is) say there's a shortage of good roles for their age group, but check out the vintage of many of the ladies up for Screen Actors Guild Awards: Shirley Jones, Cloris Leachman, Helen Mirren (of course) and Meryl Streep all are on the downhill side of 50 and still making fine contributions to their craft.
And Meryl is in such demand that she's a no show, even though her Oscar nomination last week for "The Devil Wears Prada" increases her odds of winning here. But she has a good excuse. Seems she accepted an invitation about a year ago to cohost tonight's 10th annual benefit for Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment. She's sharing the stage with former Vice President Al Gore, with whom she'll hand the Global Citizen Award to Prince Charles. Said she would have enjoyed celebrating with her fellow SAG members but she felt she should not renege on the other commitment. Let's see... British royalty or Hollywood royalty?

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While the million-and-one theories as to why the academy didn't nominate sure bet best picture winner "Dreamgirls" for best picture have been amusing, my favorite is the "voters were just sick of being told what to think" theory.
The premise is that too much promotion by the distributor and unrelenting certainty from the people who waste too much of their lives trying to predict how 6,000 or so quirky, not-all-that-into-it-or-with-it academy members are going to think just made the voters say a collective "Oh yeah? Well, we'll show you!"
I don't know if this was a major factor in "Dreamgirls'" top category shutout, and I care even less. I thought the movie was fantastically crafted, slam-bang entertainment without an active brain cell to its name, so whether or not it competes for best picture means absolutely nothing to me.
What I like about this theory, though, is that the people floating it seem to think it's a perfectly legitimate argument; which, true or not, it's anything but. When Oscar voters want to express their - oh, let's call it intellectual independence - over a mixed bag like "Dreamgirls," no harm no foul. But let's apply this line of reasoning to last year, which commentators are also using as an example without acknowledging its critical implications. Practically every quality-judging body in the movie universe agreed that "Brokeback Mountain" was the best film of 2005, but not the folks who gave the top Oscar to "Crash."
Academy members may have been dancing to their own individualistic drummers then, too, but by doing so they stomped on any notion that their awards were a reliable measure of true artistic excellence.
Which, of course, ain't news. But it's also something that ought to be remembered whenever we take the term "Oscar worthy" more seriously than we should - which is just about any time it's mistaken as the ultimate mark of cinematic accomplishment.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even if they win the Academy Award for their feature documentary "Jesus Camp," it would be hard to top the excitement of learning about its nomination. Heidi Ewing says she and co-director Rachel Grady were boarding a flight in New York for the West Coast to screen their film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and she asked the flight attendant how long they could keep their cell phones on because they were waiting for word about a possible Oscar nomination. The flight attendant passed the word to the cabin, and not long after the plane hit the air, Ewing and Grady got the good news.
"The captain made an announcement on the flight," she said. "We were laughing and crying. We drank an entire bottle of wine. We took all these photographs (with the cabin crew) like we've been friends for years.
"It was the perfect way to find out the news.... but honestly, it's shocking."

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michael Sheen, as "The Queen's" Prime Minister Tony Blair, was better than any of the actors who got nominated for supporting - except maybe Mark Wahlberg, who had much less screentime in "The Departed."
In fact, Sheen was arguably Helen Mirren's co-lead. His ability to parry with her intelectually and performance-wise, while gradually revealing both the tactical savvy and fatal tendency to bow before power that history will remember Blair for, places his work right up there with Peter O'Toole's and Forest Whitaker's in the lead actor category.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Oscar night last year, Paul Haggis was celebrating a best picture win for his movie "Crash." So what does he do for an encore? He got himself nominated again this year in the adapted screenplay category. He co-wrote the story of "Letters of Iwo Jima" which is also a best picture nominee.
"II'm just a greedy pig," he joked from the New Mexico set of his next movie. "It's just really thrilling. Im especially happy for [director] Clint [Eastwood]. It was his passion from the beginning. He had a real passion to tell both sides of the story so I'm glad I could help him do that."
Haggis is currently directing "In the Valley of Ella" which, ironically, stars three Oscar winners: Charlize Theron, Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The failure of "Dreamgirls," the longtime presumptive front-runner for the best picture Oscar, to even be nominated in that category may seem to prove the argument - also floated in the last couple of months - that the movie's Achilles heel could be the fact that no African-American production has ever won the top Academy Award.
Maybe. Who knows how some academy voters' minds work (I know that their choices usually baffle me). But, considering other aspects of Tuesday's nominations, it's logical to conclude that racism was a minor factor in the "Dreamgirls" snub, if it was even a factor at all.
For one thing, if the overwhelmingly white academy preferred their own, it's unlikely that seven of the 20 acting slots would have gone to non-Europen people of color - the largest minority representation ever, by many reports.
Then there's the fact that the top two cumulative nomination-getters are "Dreamgirls" (with eight) and the multi-ethnic "Babel" (seven). The Mexican production "Pan's Labyrinth" clocked an impressive six nominations. And the film that displaced "Dreamgirls" from the best picture race, "Letters from Iwo Jima," features an essentially all-Asian cast, speaking in Japanese and empathetically portraying enemies American films virulently dehumanized during World War II and for quite some time afterward.
If you've got to make a prejudice case for the "Dreamgirls" snub, perhaps homophobia sticks a little better. We all know that some academy voters were adamantly against giving best picture to "Brokeback Mountain" last year solely because of its sexual politics. And while there's nothing overtly queer in "Dreamgirls," it's a well-known favorite of gay men.
Perhaps most damning, "Dreamgirls'" white, gay writer-director, Bill Condon, was also shut out of the two categories he qualified for. So, as Nathan Lane once said, you do the math.

Posted by Bob Strauss at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tom Perrota, a nominee for best adpated screenplay for "Little Children," got the news in Boston where he lives. He wasn't watching the television because he said the tension of the Golden Globes got the best of him: "There's an aspect of a bad dream, waiting for someone to say your name on television. I told my agent to call me if the news was good."
It was. He got a call.
“It’s more the feeling of relief and then real pleasure. I expect the worst. Now I can continue my Zelig-like appearances at places I don't belong."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tuesday marked the first time that George Miller, a resident of Sydney, Australia, was actually in Los Angeles when the nominations were announced. (He’s received three previous nominations). Miller, nominated for “Happy Feet� in the animated film category, arrived last week to attend the Golden Globes.
“In the past I was in Australia and getting a call at 1 or 2 in the morning,� he says. “This is much more civilized. But I’m heading home tonight. I can’t wait to see my wife and kids and we’ll have a celebration.�

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When 30-year-old Gil Keenan was a student at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda, he never thought he'd be going to the Oscars. But he's up for an Oscar for directing the film “Monster House� which is competing with “Cars� and “Happy Feet� in the Best Animated Film category.
“It’s all very strange and silly and great. I didn’t expect to get nominated and definitely don’t expect to win. I get to play pretend and put on a tuxedo and go to a free show. I’m kind of taking it all with a grain of salt and just enjoying it. No one knows who I am. It’s gonna be ridiculous.I’m honored to be a part of it.�

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Patrick Marber was home in London when the Academy Award nominations were announced. Apparently a realist more than an optimist ("It's my first nomination, maybe my only"), he did not have great expectations that his name would come up in the adapted screenplay category for "Notes on a Scandal."
"I turned my phone off. I didn't want to know. And if, 15 minutes' time after the nominations announcement, it looked busy, that was good news. And it was very busy.
"I remember this day two years ago when I didn't get nominated for 'Closer.' And the difference between the silence of no nomination and the noise of a nomination is dramatic. This, I have to say, is a bit more fun."

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If the look of any film this year is clearly the product of many individuals, it is "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Art director Rick Heinrichs already is thinking about how to recognize everyone who had a hand in creating everything from the ships and the menacing sea serpent to the cages of human bones and a runaway water wheel -- without whipping out a list a mile long -- should he win the Oscar. "They tell you not to go up there with a laundry list, which I did the first time ('Sleepy Hollow'). And I learned a year later that they used my acceptance speech (at the Oscar nominees' luncheon) as an example of what not to do," he said.
"And I was nominated again for 'Lemony Snicket.' That was the year they were playing around with it and they had all five nominees up there on the stage at the same time. That was not good because you're standing there and you're the loser."

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RYAN GOSLING, Best Actor nominee for “Half Nelson� -- "I have tremendous respect for all the actors in this category and it's a great honor to be in their company. It's extremely encouraging to see a small film be recognized at this level. By recognizing me I feel that it honors everyone I love and for that I am truly grateful.�

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MARTIN SCORSESE, Best Director nominee for “The Departed� said in a statement Tuesday:
“I am very pleased that ‘The Departed’ has been honored with five nominations for this year’s Academy Awards. I am particularly happy that the hard work of the entire cast and crew has been rewarded with a Best Picture nomination and that the specific contributions of Mark Wahlberg, our screenwriter William Monahan, and my longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker have been recognized with nominations as well.�

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" was pretty much a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, except in the eyes of director Davis Guggenheim. "I was a hundred percent certain we would not get nominated," he says. "I had the whole argument down pat: We're a slide show, the academy really takes very seriously what it takes to be a documentary, we didn't get a DGA nomination. It had all that against it."
What's in its favor, and definitely distinguishes it from its four rivals for the award, is the -- dare I say it? -- star power of former Vice President Al Gore.
"The thought of Al Gore on the red carpet at the Academy Awards -- that's a real victory march for him," Guggenheim said. "For ages he has been trying to get his message across about global warming, and people are really hearing it."
OK, so the ex-Veep and Tipper will be mingling with the stars on Feb 25. What's the most relevant way to make an entrance at an event for which celebs pull up in hybrid cars even when their films have nothing to do with environmental issues?
"At Cannes, we walked to the premiere," Guggenheim said.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adriana Barraza was home in Miami with her husband with the television on waiting for the Academy Award nominations to be announced. "I was prepared for this amazing ocassion." When her name was stated in the supporting actress category for "Babel," she said she "I jumped! I cried! I screamed like crazy! I kissed my husband many times. My husband cried. We were a mess."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)