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.