Martin Scorsese finally wins an Oscar but he doesn't have a ton to say about the emotions of it. He's a film buff with an encyclopedia mind and he's back here talking about film perservation etc.Finally, someone gets him to reflect on the enormity of it all: "Good thing I didn't get it before. Maybe it would have changed the kind of movies I made or something. I'm glad that it went this way. I'm glad it's taken this long. It's been worth it."
While he campaigned for "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York," he wanted to lie low on any campaigns for "The Departed" on his behalf: "Let's relax and make as good a film as we can."
On past losses: "You've got to get on with your life and get on with your work. The work is what's important."
He added: "Winning for me, I gotta tell you, is making the pictures."

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

Helen Mirren, who walked in carrying a vodka gimlet, is back here answering a question in perfect French. I have NO IDEA what she is saying but she sounds lovely. Is there nothing this woman can't do. Holding her first Academy Award ever, she told reporters backstage that she finished filming "Elizabeth I" (the TV movie that won her the Emmy, the Golden Globe and the SAG award) then had only two weeks before she began filming "The Queen" which had her playing Queen Elizabeth II for which she has won EVERYTHING. Then, after just after a month off, she began filming her final "Prime Suspect" movie for which she, of course, was critically acclaimed.
Before the ceremony, she said she felt "quite calm." She said she cared about winning but didn't dwell on it. "I didn't go there."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eddie Murphy had already had the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for best supporting actor by the time his comedy "Norbit" hit theaters. There was a school of thought that they movie, while a huge box office hit, might undermine Murphy's Oscar chance since it is such a silly comedy seemingly below a "serious" actor."
So someone asks Arkin: "Were you glad to see those bilboards for 'Norbit" going up around time: "I don't keep score," he said. "This is a fun kind of insanity. Who's to say who's better?"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Those of us who have been covering the award shows this season, until tonight, Forest Whitaker's acceptance speeches have been horrendous. So when he won, some of us were keeping our fingers crossed. He did a smart thing: he prepared a speech and read from it. Usually that is so terrible for for Whitaker, it was wonderful because he wrote a wonderful, thoughtful speech and delivered it with so much heart.
Backstage, he was just as thoughtful on a variety of topics including the diversity of this year's nominees from African-Americans to Mexicans to Spaniards and on and on: "it's an amazing statement. We have ti be connected as a planet. This year, you see people from all over the world...Stories that are reflecting the diversity of humanity. We have to pay attention and understand that I affect you and you affect me."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What's better than interpretive dancing during a 3 1/2-hour awards show? Interpretive dancing in silhouette!

Posted by at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When you think about the Britney Spears mess, it says something about success coming too fast. Spears is the same age - 25- as Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson. So as Hudson stood holding an Oscar and on top of the world backstage, she was asked what advice she might have for this trouled, bald, tatooed and now-in-rehab one-time performer: "I can only pray for her," Hudson said, before adding, "It's not really any of my business."
Tell THAT to the tabloids!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jennifer Hudson follows Hattie McDaniel and Whoopi Goldberg as one of only three African-American actresses to ever win the best supporting actress Oscar."This represents a change and a difference," she said backstage after I asked her about being added to this very exclusive club.
Asked about Eddie Murphy's loss, she said: "I just know that he did an unbelievable job. I feel at this point, just being a nominee, we're all winners."
Still, with Hudson's win and that of Forest Whitaker for "Last King of Scotland," it was an excellent night for African American actors who have been largely ignored by the Academy until 2002 when a change took place with the duel wins of Denzel Washington and Halle Berry (the only African-American actress to EVER win the leading actress prize). Since then, Jamie Foxx has won lead actor, Morgan Freeman supporting actor and now Hudson and Whitaker.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"This is the only naked man who will ever be in my bedroom," said best original song winner Melissa Etheridge backstage. As one of the world's most famous lesbians, she was asked about thanking partner Tammy Lynn Michaels as her wife in her speech and giving her a big kiss before taking the stage.
"She was so important to me, especially with this project," she said of Michaels. "She said, 'Write what you feel.' She saved my life. I was kissing her because that's what you do when you win and Oscar, you kiss your loved one."
As far as anyone raising an eyebrow over such same-sex affection, Etheridge said: "I think the Oscars, it's like a gay holiday. So it's really meaningful that [host] Ellen [DeGeneres] or myself, there's no token gay here. It's a real mix here."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

... for showing excellent judgment in leaving Anna Nicole Smith out of the In Memoriam package. Yeah. technically speaking she was in a couple of movies, but...

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Al Gore and the team behind "An Inconvenient Truth" were just wrapping up their backstage Q&A session and were almost out of the room when Melissa Etheridge's name was called as winner of best original song "I Need to Wake Up" which she wrote for the movie. Gore tip-toed back into the press room to watch Etheridge accept the Oscar. He clapped wildly and smiled ear-to-ear. He clapped again when Etheridge said "caring about the Earth is not red or blue, we are all green."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's kind of bizarre. Al Gore is back here taking questions, and at least three reporters have referred to him as "Mr. President." Finally, Gore says "I WAS president of the senate!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Celine Dion is singing on the screen and the backstage interview is the foreign film winner who is speaking in German. So what is there to do? Gossip with Richard Roeper! He heard that after losing the best supporting actor race to Alan Arkin, Murphjy left! If that's the truth, it's not very gracious of Norbit. After all, remember 10 years ago when poor Lauren Bacall, as much as a front-runner for "The Mirror Has Two Faces" as Murphy was for "Dreamgirls," smiled bravely and clapped after Juliet Binoche won (this pains me to this day) then not only did Bacall stay through the whole show, she went to the Governor's Ball and danced with Kevin Spacey.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When Sherry Lansing saw Tom Cruise at a pre-Oscar party a few days ago, she said she thought he was kind of cold when he greeted her. When he presented her with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, he whispered into her ear that he really wanted to do it and that's why he couldn't say much at the party: "It was a secret. I had no idea who was giving me the award," Lansing said backstage.
She also, during a very loooooooooooooooooooong Q&A session, defended Cruise as an actor and believes he will be back at the top of his profession and be standing at the Academy Awards holding his own Oscar one day.
Cruise ex-wife Nicole Kidman, who presented the first award tonight with Daniel Craig, already has an Oscar, and ex-girlfriend Penelope Cruz is up for one tonight.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hooray!!! It happened. After Eddie Murphy's loss, I was a bit nervous about this. But Jennifer Hudson took the best supporting actress Academy Award for "Dreamgirls" and she was tearful and gracious. "I just have to take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do."
She hugged Beyonce and others on her way up to the stage. I gotta say, it is so annoying to have the music start playing her off the stage. Dammit. Cut out the stupid costume segment and let the best supporting actress speak!
Over the music, Jennifer Hudson did thank Jennifer Holliday, who originated the role of Effie on Broadway, won the Tony for it 25 years ago, and was publicly pissed off over not being given even a cameo in the film.
Holliday should feel much better now and thanks to the classy Hudson, her legacy was honored.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now I wish I hadn't blown off the producer of "The Lives of Others" on the red carpet. I was sure "Pan's Labyrinth" would win in this category, especially since it had already won for art direction and cinematography AND make-up! With six nods overall, it seemed to be a shoo-in to win at least five wins...OK, here comes best supporting actress! Will Jennifer win? I'm a wreck!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oscar producer Laura Ziskin meant well when she asked for some sort of display on stage of nominated costume designs. But what the hell was that? "Curse of the Golden Flower" and "Marie Antoinette" were showcased nicely, but the corgi next to the multiple versions of "The Queen," the two white-haired Mirandas in their "Prada" wear and the Voguish posing of the "Dreamgirls" were just campy gone weird.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Something tells me that if Paraount Pictures studio head Brad Grey were receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award tonight, Tom Cruise would not have shown up to present the honor. But since it was going to former studio head Sherry Lansing, under whom he enjoyed a heady run of hits over 20 years, Tommy was here with bells on. He's the perfect gentleman these days and I think the whole image makeover post-Oprah couch jumping and Brooke Shields bashing will work provided he follows it up with a good movie role and continued good behavior.
Sherry's speech was kinda stiff but she looks dazzling not just for a 61-year-old woman, but for a woman any age.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

-- Meryl Streep giving co-presenters (and co-stars) Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway the evil eye from the audience when they quiz each other over who forgot to fetch Miss Streep her capacinno (I can't spell it!)

-- Helen Mirren, that classy English Dame, saying the entire title of "Borat:Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kasakhstan" with a straight face and dignified manner...making it all the funnier.

-- Host Ellen asking Speven Speilberg to take a photo of her and Clint Eastwood in the audience. Then had him take a second one because it wasn't centered enough.

-- Ellen saying Dame Judi Dench was not at the awards because she was having "knee surgery" (she used air quotes) then adding that it was actually surgery on eyes. Then later she says she has to correct herself: "It wasn't her eyes...it was her boobs."

Ellen to nominees: "It's not that we don't have time for long speeches...we don't have time for boring speeches!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Was it me or did “The Departed” screenplay winner William Monahan just get played off – very gently – to “So Long, Farewell” from "The Sound of Music?"

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As an uncle who takes his niece and nephew to just about every animated film that comes out, I take special interest in the best animated film category. I figured "Cars" would win. It was good, it's Pixar, made gobs of money, had top-flight talent. But the movie that me and the kids really loved was Happy Feet. After it was over, my 5-year-old nephew Ben could not stop tap dancing. "I have happy feet!" he explained. I mostly loved that this film had a wonderful message about accepting people's (or penguin's) differences...that different isn't bad. Let people, or penguins, be their authentic selves.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vice President Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio just came out to announce that for the first time in Oscar history, the show has gone green, meaning whenever possible, choices favored those that were ecologically sound.
Of course, it probably was much closer to green back in the early ‘30s when it was just a dinner get-together of Hollywood insiders. You wanna be really green? Don’t force the closure Hollywood Boulevard for about a week, leaving cars trucks and buses belching fumes while they idle in the traffic.
And don’t anybody remind Al about all the chemical waste involved in metal plating on those statuettes.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gosh, people keep calling me. Friends. A buddy Scott calls and says, "Hey, we're on the road. Do you know what radio station is playing the Oscars?" I whispered: "DUDE, I'm BACKSTAGE right now, I can't talk!" Then my friend Evan texts me to tell me he grew up with one of the winners and to ask him something but I don;t read the text until the guy was already out of the interview room.
Anyway, both Richard Roeper and I lament that fact that our predictions of major categories will not be perfect since we both picked Eddie Murphy to win. Richard and I are likethis now. I wouldn't be surprised if we went out and grabbed a few beers after this is over....

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alan Arkin's win for "Little Miss Sunshine" cuts into the sweep by persons of color. Djimon Honsou of "Blood Diamond" and Eddie Murphy of "Dreamgirls" -- who had a leg up from the SAG Awards, we thought -- were left in their seats. Arkin is the first "first-timer" among major categories. More to come, for sure.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alan Arkin took the supporting actor trophy over tough competition, including front-runner Eddie Murphy. I can only think this helps "Little Miss Sunshine" in the best picture race. Ellen Degeneres is now roaming around the audience, she doesn't head toward Murphy, who can't be happy, but did chat with Mark Wallberg, who was clearly just happy to be nominated. I think Murphy is probably planning "Norbit 2" right now, and I don't blame him! But Arkin is a worthy winner.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Those Oscars sure look COOL!! The night's first winners are backstage -- they won for art direction for "Pan's Labyrinth." I wonder if they would let me hold it just for a minute. C'mon. which of you hasn't wanted to hold up an Oscar and give a fake speech? I have a friend whose husband won an Emmy, and I was at their house for brunch one Sunday and did the whole stand-in-front-of-the-miirror-with-the-Emmy thing. They just laughed because apparently about a dozen people had done it before me that very day.

All these answers are in Spanish from the "Pan's Labyrinth" peeps. How do you say, "Can I borrow your Oscar for a minute in Spanish?"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Great opening sequence with absolutely no frills. Short, sweet and endearing straight-on interviews with the nominees, cut just quickly enough. Thank you, Errol Morris. Then came Ellen DeGeneres. She's known for her apolitical comedy, and she likes it that way. But she did get in one impartial comment. It came after acknowledging Jennifer Hudson, noting the irony that Americans did not vote for her to win "American Idol," and yet here she is with an Oscar nomination for "Dreamgirls." "And Al Gore is here tonight, (for the documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth')," DeGeneres said. "Americans did vote for him, and.... It's very complicated."

Touche. Al and Tipper had a good laugh, and Ellen got big applause.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The show starts in a few minutes! So I'm sitting across from Stacy Jenel Smith, who does Marilyn Beck's column with her, and I told her about how 3 or 4 years ago, I was seated next to Beck at a screening of "The Four Feathers" on the lot of Paramount Pictures and midway through...I FELL ASLEEP! (I wasn't reviewing it!) so Stacy calls Marilyn up and asks her if she remembers. She does and puts her on the phone with me! We had a good laugh.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's so much more fun watching stuff going on on the red carpet backstage than actually on the red carpet. When I was out there, it was cold and blustery, and now I'm inside here sitting next to Richard Roeper sipping hot tea. Which would you rather be doing? Cameron Diaz is on the screen right now blabbering on and on. But she looks a lot better than she did at the Globes. Now Eddie Murphy is on and he insists that he likes ALL his movies: "I even like 'Pluto Nash.' "

They are doing a spot on Ryan Gosling right now. I ask you, is it really necessary to keep bringing up that he was on "The Mickey Mouse Club" with Justin, Britney and Christina Agulera? I mean, do all roads lead to Britney? I wonder if Britney is watching the Oscars from her rehab facility, and if so, if she is watching them with a wig on ...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love Ricky Gervais! If you didn't catch his video message to Kate Winslet on E!'s red carpet coverage, then it's going to lose something in this translation. The creative genius behind "The Office" and star of "Extras" was polite and suportive of his old friend, but his Siamese cat apparently couldn't hold back, expressing her preference for Helen Mirren's performance and her snide opinion of Winslet's gown. Kate thoroughly enjoyed it, and that was the idea. Every nervous nominee should have a friend like him to help them relax on their way in to the big event.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm back in the press room waiting for Roeper to get here. I've disagreed with many of his reviews this year so I hope things don't get ugly back here between us. But, some more red carpet sightings. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is here and said something about how cool it is to be mayor of LA where you can go from a baseball game in Encino to the Oscars. That's all fine, but he really should not have shown up at the Oscars wearing baseball gear.
KIDDING!
The queen Helen Mirren has arrived with hubby Taylor Hackford and said she was feeling "a combination of nerves and feeling unbelievably excited..it's always the most amazing afternoon and evening of one's life." She says her nominated role in "The Queen," allowed viewers to "look behind the curtain a bit behind the mystery of the monarchy."
And finally, Celine Dion shows up (not wearing the ridiculous backward white suit from years back...remember THAT?) and she said, "It's our fifth time at the Oscars and it's an amazing honor."
I'm just grateful she is not going to be singing "My Heart Will Go On." I can go another 25 years before hearing that song again.
Leonardo DiCaprio whisked by looking super-sharp with his hair slicked back and only stopping to sign an autograph for some little kid. I don't think Leo will win for "Blood Diamond" but, I believe he deserves to win.
Also, Jennifer Hudson whisked by. She looks like a winner already!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beyoncé said on Oscar's red carpet Sunday: "It's a wonderful year to be an African-American actor."
If only they'd get the names right.

At Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards -- the indie Oscars -- newcomer Shareeka Epps, the African-American who won best actress for "Half Nelson," was called "Shakira" twice by presenter Felicity Huffman

"Oh, my name's Shareeka by the way," Epps said from the Spirit Awards stage.

At the end of the night, the unbearable Sarah Silverman, who hosted, said "Next year's host will be Facility Hoffman." Good one, Sarah.

Posted by at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So here's the deal, the press bleacher I'm at is situated right before the celebs are going to walk into the Kodak, so by that time, they are sick of doing interviews, I would guess. But, I was shouting out questions to see if they'd give me just a little crumb of something.

To Jodie Foster, looking like a million bucks in a Vera Wang gown, I said, "Jodie! Who ya rootin' for for best director." She looks back, smiles and says, "Awww, Martin Scoresse." That's the man who directed her to her first Oscar nomination 31 years ago in "Taxi Driver." Egads! Time Flies. She, of course, has won two Oscars since then. ...

Then, knock me over with a feather, I see the stunning, beautiful, flawless Catherine Deneuve. Wow! Total babe. Asked her who she is rooting for to win best picture. This French goddess looked panicked and said, "I don't know! I don't know!" So, I figure she doesn't want to take sides ... or she doesn't even know who the heck is nominated!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're ex-Idol contestant and Oscar nominee Jennifer Hudson, one good thing about being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest on the Academy Awards red carpet is his ability to get Simon Cowell eating a heapin' helping of crow on tape. Cowell submitted a video message just for Hudson, whom he drubbed during her "American Idol" performances in season three. "We're rooting for you," he said, predicting she would win the supporting actress honor for "Dreamgirls." Hudson was so touched that she expressed concern about her makeup being runined by a tear or two. Finally! Simon making somebody cry is a good thing.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My credentials allow me access to the backstage interview room and what is called the press bleachers, which are different from what I'm used to but kinda fun. You are mixed in with seat-fillers, and I was sitting with Janice Campbell of Ontario, Calif., and Gale Wilson of San Dimas. We became fast friends and began giving our catty opinions of some of the fashions of the early arrivals. Some REAL nightmares! Joan Rivers must be fainting.

The co-screenwriter of "Borat" has arrived (not Sacha Baron Cohen, the other dude) and he told the announcer: "It's amazing, it's surreal. [Award season] seems to last forever. We hoped [the movie] would do well, but we were just blown away."

Paul Haggis, who won last year for "Crash," is up this year for adapated screenplay for "Letters From Iwo Jima," and says that with each Oscar win (he's won twice now) his wife says, "I get much better looking."

OK friends, I'm writing you this from the interview room, where I am slated to sit right next to Richard Roeper, who is currently doing the ABC pre-show. I'm going to go back out to the bleachers (and Janice and Gale) and see how the A-listers look now that they are arriving.).

Stay tuned!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kodak Theatre, anyway. Former Vice President Al Gore, hoping for a documentary award for director Davis Guggenheim's "An Inconvenient Truth," just did the red carpet thing with wife Tipper -- she in Bill Blass, he in Ralph Lauren.

He's as sharp and self-deprecating as ever. When E! host Ryan Seacrest asked him who could play Gore in a biopic, he replied, "I don't know ... William Hung?" If you've ever seen Al dance, you know his suggestion has some merit.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm kinda under the weather here at the Oscars but will try my best to bring you what's going on. Got here later than I had hoped but had a chance to wander around the red carpet and chatted up Mark McGrath, the former Sugar Ray singer who is now co-host of "Extra." He could not have been nice and told me he is "still figuring this all out. It's been an interesting transition."
Then I saw Wolfgang Puck on the red carpet and walked right up to him, pointed to this tray of goodie he had and asked if it was all real chocolate Ichocolate Oscars, chocolate burgers etc). He said in his delightfully thicik accent: "Yes, all is chocolate except for salom on oscars at the bottom."
Gotcha.
I was just about to say hello to Joan Rivers when some Academy official demanded to see my credentials and said I was no longer allowed in this area. (bitch!)
I was ushered to the press bleachers where I was seated with some journalists and a bunch of seat fillers. The woman in front of me is from Japan and her dress has a big bow in the back. It's lovely. But, it is getting in my way. I feel like tearing it off.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Irony is alive and well and ready for its closeup at the Oscars. E! has announced that Jennifer Holliday, who may or may not still be extremely bitter about being passed over for the role of Effie in the "Dreamgirls" film, is going to provide live entertainment during its six-hour "Countdown to the Red Carpet" special. She's going to sing "And I'm Telling You, I'm Not Going" -- Effie's showstopper that marks the beginning of a steep personal and professional decline. Jennifer Hudson is picking up the hardware at nearly every awards show and is in the elite Oscar nominees club, but Holliday, who originated the role on Broadway, is digging her heels into the red carpet.

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

Mark your calendars for two extraordinary, Oscar-nominated films, arriving on April 17th from Fox Home Entertainment:

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Oscar-nominee Forest Whitaker portrays the charismatic, yet psychopathic Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, who led one of the most horrific reigns of terror in modern times. Based on chilling, actual events, the film follows Amin’s rise to power and subsequent fall from grace chronicled from the perspective of his personal physician, a young Scotsman blinded by Amin’s charm who ultimately must confront both the reality of Amin and face the consequences of his own actions. Boasting gritty and realistic direction from documentary filmmaker Kevin MacDonald ("Touching The Void," "Being Mick") and a versatile supporting cast that includes James McAvoy ("The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe"), Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”) and Kerry Washington ("Fantastic Four"), the DVD includes audio commentary by MacDonald, seven deleted scenes with optional director commentary, a “Capturing Idi Amin” documentary, and a Forest Whitaker featurette.

NOTES ON A SCANDAL

Two of the world’s best actresses, six-time nominee and Oscar-winner Judi Dench and three-time nominee and Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett deliver superb performances along with Golden Globe-winner Bill Nighy ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest," "Constant Gardner") in what The New York Observer called “a cinematic triumph of scalding intensity.” Directed by Richard Eyre ("Stage Beauty," "Iris"), the film is nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Acting nods for Dench and Blanchett as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. In the story, one woman’s mistake is another’s opportunity in this stylish, suspenseful thriller that binds two women together by the secrets that they share. The DVD features deleted scenes, director commentary, webisodes, multiple featurettes – including “Notes On A Scandal: The Story Of Two Obsessions” and “Notes On A Scandal: Behind The Scenes."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don't get me wrong, it was a GREAT show - one of the best in many years. But I ask you, what the HELL was Scarlett Johanson, who has never had a record in her brief life, doing presenting the BEST ALBUM award with Don Henley? What an insult to all the great artists and legends who were at the Grammys last night.
Why not have Joan Baez, who looked amazing and is a legend, present with Henley? That REALLY annoyed me. Apparently she is about to record an album. She asked Henley if he had any advice for her. He said: "No." And he seemed to mean it.
Then you had the strange presence of Al Gore presenting best ROCK album with Queen Latifah. I know he was initially scheduled to present with Mellisa Etheridge who wrote the song for his "An Inconvenient Truth" flick. But there was nothing really clever said to explain the former veep's presence.
And what about the trio who presented Best Country Album? Mandy Moore. OK, fine, she's a singer. LeAnn Rimes. Perfect. She's a singer AND does Country songs. so far so good. Rounding out the threesome? LUKE WILSON? What the? I like Luke Wilson, don't get me wrong. But he has no business presenting Grammys is all I'm saying.
And good God, what the heck was DAVID SPADE doing there? I know it's a CBS telecast. I know Spade has a new sitcom on CBS. But this man has officially started to bug me. He has to 1. Get a haircxut. 2. Get a new schtick.
In a similar gripe, two cast members from CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" sitcom, Alyson Hannigan and Corie Smulders introduced Gnarls Barkley. I don't get it. Were the producers sitting around thinking, "Hmmmmm. Who will introduce Gnarls Barkley? I got it! Alyson Hannigan! She's perfect! No one else will do!"
Similarly, Christina Ricci (hugh? she doesn't even have a CBS sitcom) and Samuel L. Jackson introducing the R&B segment featuring Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Chris Brown and an out-of-this-world Christina Aguilera.
I mean, if you're going to have actors presenting, at least have some who have recorded an album. I got one! William Shatner! Oh yeah, wrong network. His "Boston Legal" airs on ABC.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If there were any of you who were following my live blogging on the On the Red Carpet site last night, I lost all Internet connection backstage at the Grammys and was unable to blog during the last 40 minutes or so of the show. It was excrutiating! But I cheered up when some of the bigger names began coming into our interview room. I am now officially all about Mary J. Blige. Love, love LOVE her! Blige has that survivor thing going on that so many of us can identify with. "This has been an incredible night for me...it has been a personal breakthrough....You just strive to put your back up straight because you're sick of slumping." Great woman and amazing singer....
Tony Bennett, that ageless wonder, spent loads of time with us backstage talking about how he has always strived to make timeless music that would still be listenable 50 years from now. He! has certainly accomplished that. Tony is 80 years old, an amazing 80 years old, and talked about how finding something that you love in life and doing it, keeps you young. He is living proof. He is a living legend who now has 14 Grammys, the first won in the early 60s for "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

And, of course, who isn't thrilled for The Dixie Chicks? For them to win five Grammys including album and record of the year was sweet vindication for the absolutely horrendous backlash they suffered through for daring to speak their minds in the United States of America. We waited an hour for them to come backstage and talk to us - which is partly why I'm so dead-tired today - and I left in frustration about 10:30 p.m. I said to my award show buddy Sandra Barrera: "I'm tired of waiting for the Pixie Stixs!" But here are some backstage comments from other artists on the Chicks win: John Mayer said "it was just almost an instant classic album...They were running from a lot of ghosts."
I also became a fan of Ludacris who last year, walked by me on the red carpet at the Oscars and I had no idea who he was. At the Grammys, he performed magically and backstage, he told us that he cut off his signature braids because he didn't want to turn 30 next year with cornrows. He also did not hild back when describing what winning a Grammy (his first) for "Release Therapy" meant to him: "Today is pretty much the best day of my life...no words can explain how great I feel right now."
Multiple winners The Red Hot Chili Peppers came backstage and were so friendly and fun. They were ready to take all the questions we had for them - and we had many - but this very annoying woman with an ugly gold lame coat and frazzled hair rushed them off the stage. This woman was a nightmare. I got to the press room about noon. By 1 p.m. she was on my nerves. By 2:30 p.m. I hated her. By the end of the night (10:30 p.m.), I was making a list of various ways to not exactly kill her, but maybe tie her up and stuff her in a closet so she could rethink her attitude...and her hairdo! Anyway, one of the Chili Peppers, Chad Smith the drummer, made a face at her behind her back and she saw him. Busted! Most peeps would laugh it off, but gold coat lady was incensed. I was convulsing in laughter. It was so third-grade...and so funny! When Chad walked back into the press room earlier, he looked around and said: "You guys are stuck back here the whole time? Why? Why? Were you bad in college?"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, is making a speech. I got an idea: how bout next year you give Mary J. Blige more time for her speech and skip the boring speech!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Knock me over with a feather. Smokey Robinson has just sung "Tracks of My Tears" and it reminds me of why I love music...all the Motown records my big sister played in our house. It's the soundtrack of my life and for Smokey to be able to go out there still looking and sounding so good, shows you that if you love what you do, it sure keeps you young! I'll bet a lot of money helps too.
He was followed by Lionel Richie singing "Hello" and I have to say, his voice is as good as it ever was. Being at least a decade-plus younger than Smokey, he can still hit all the notes. I'd love to see a lot MORE of Lionel Richie and a lot LESS of his daughter, Nicole Richie. I liked her the most of all the young train wreck girls but she kinda lost me when she took drugs and drive on the wrong side of the 134 Freeway a few months back. That is just not cool.
OK, as I was going off on that tangent, a guy named Chris Brown has just sung "Run It" and gets a standing ovation but I'm not into it. But I can get into this: Christina Aguilara belting out "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." The girl is almost obscured by dry ice for a second but she sure has some serious pipes. She just hit a really high note that was kind of a scream and a music writer from the Tennessean sitting next to me just yelled out: "Yoko!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minutes after singing a knockout version of "Desperado," Carrie Underwood beat out James Blunt and others to take the best new artist award presented by Natalie Cole and Orenette Coleman. Underwood ran up to the stage and said, "This is absolutely unbelievable. I love country music!" She thanked her mom, she thanked her dad, she thanked "American Idol" producer Simon Fuller as well as producer Clive Davis and "anybody that had anything to do with this album and the blessed year I've had. Thank you so much."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You can't blame the Dixie Chicks for being giddy over their Grammy wins tonight. They just won the Grammy for Best Country Album ("Taking the Long Way") and Natalie took the mic and said: "To quote the great Simpsons: "He!He!" [ Big laugh in the audience and in the press room] "A lot of people just turned their TVs off right now, sorry about that."
Doubt it. Too many folks have come to realize that not only do the Dixie Chicks have the absolute right to speak their minds, a lot of people probably agree with them now! Emily Robison added: "Our core fans always stood by us. We wouldn't have done this album without everything we went through. So thank you...we have no regrets!"
John Mayer was just back here in the press room and said of the Dixie Chicks: "I'm really proud of them...it was almost an instant classic kind of album...They were running from a lot of ghosts...they just wrote great songs as the weapon."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, if you plans to watch the Grammy telecast on CBS tonight, make damned sure you don't take a bathroom break around 9:30 or so because that is when Grammy queen Mary J. Blige sings "Be Without You" and "Stay With Me" and it's enough to make a grown man cry - she's THAT good. It is a performance for the ages and is not to be missed." Wow.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Things are getting crazy here. The Dixie Chicks are winning the song of the year award on stage and the great Tony Bennett is back here in the press room holding court. He is this ageless wonder who is going on and on. Talking about the future, he indicated that he loves the the way KD Lang sings so maybe they will do another one of their wonderful duets.
Bennett's impression of the Grammy telecast so far: "Sting really knocked it out of the park..."
So, The Dixie Chicks won their second Grammy of the night, song of the year for "Not Ready to Make Nice Yet." Natalie Maines said: "For the first time in my life, I'm speechless!" Then she joked to her partners: "I told you I'd take you to the Grammys! ...Stick with me!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Mayer just won the Grammy for best pop vocal album. He sings swell but gives a dull acceptance speech. So this is the guy who is supposedly dating Jessica Simpson? Yes, she's cute. But isn't she kinda dumb? Like Judge Judy says: "Looks fade, but stupid is forever."
Anyway, on to Timberlake. When he was performing "What Goes Around Comes Around," there were all these weird close-ups of his face, like up his nose close-ups...can see the pores on the face close-ups. This was not such a good idea if ya ask me.
Just as an aside, Enya won a Grammy in the pre-show and came backstage and told us that this was the first time she had ever been to the Grammys to accept. Her third Grammy win was for best New Age album. Anyway, the thing is, she wasn't in the convention center to accept the Grammy in person so I asked her: "WHERE WERE YOU?" She confessed: "I was actually on the red carpet...but the news was wonderful when I found out."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mary J. Blige, nominated for five Grammys overall has already win three 45 minutes into the show. She just won her second of the telecast for best R&B female performance over a stellar field that included Mariah Carey and Natalie Cole among others. She acknowledged that "I've already thanked everyone I could possibly think of" but went on to talk about the peaks and valleys she has experienced in her life: "It's in the valley when we learn who we really are...I want to use this success to build bridges, not to burn them.".
Blige will do well to have a career with the longevity of Natalie Cole who may look barely a day over 35, the truth is she won the first of her truckload of Grammys way back in 1976 as best new artist. Keep it going Natalie...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was her Grammy moment and she knew it. When Mary J. Blige's name was called as winner of best R&B album award, she choked back tears as she thanked God and said: "This is the first time I've ever been up here to receive anything...and I thank you so much." She added that "for so many years, I've been talked about negatively. Now I've been talked about positively by so many people. She thanked her husband and children then started down a loooooooong list of names. The orchestra music began but Mary J. Blige wasn't going anywhere. She kept reading names and as the music got louder, so did she. It wasn't quite Cuba Gooding Jr. at the Oscars when he won for "Jerry Maguire" all those years ago...

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

I love this Grammy telecast, at least the first 15 minutes of it. I have heard of the performers and winners to so far. First off, The Police reunited and simply turned back the clock with the opening song, "Roxanne." They sounded great and that kind of reunion is so rare and special. That was followed by a Grammy win for Tony Bennett (his second tonight) and Stevie Wonder for their duet "For Once in My Life" from Bennett's "Duets" CD. Tony's speech was similar to the non-televised one only this time when he thanked tour sponsor Target, the audience laughed! Tony didn't much care.
Said Wonder: "This is an amazing moment for me..I have to tell you all, this is a bittersweet, sweet moment. I have to accept this award in memory of my m other."

Now Beyonce, introduced by Prince, is singing "Listen" from "Dreamgirls." It. Is. Glorious. Love it. Love her. She is dazzling. Absolutely fantastic performance. She was preceded by the Dixie Chicks who performed "Not Ready to Make Nice" and what I loved most, was that they were introduced by the great Joan Baez who is a Grammy Legend recipient tonight.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the emotional highlights of the pre-telecast Grammys was Nancy Wilson's win for best jazz vocal for her album "Turned to Blue." Wilson, who turns 70 next week, won her first Grammy in 1964 and her most recent one last year. "I don't believe it! I'm so surprised to be standing here saying, 'Thank you.' To win back-to-back Grammys...I've got a lot of nominations and won quite a few but back to back? I'm so proud and pleased that my grandsons understand: "Oh, you're THAT Nancy Wilson."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not that any of them showed up! Lemme tell ya, unless there is a rapt nationwide television audience to hang on their every word, it seems that some superstars have better things to do than accept their non-televised Grammys. I'm gonna make a vow: if I'm ever nominated for a Grammy, televised or not, I will be there!
Aguilera won another Grammy for best female pop performance ("Aint No Other Man"), Dylan got the best solo rock vocal performance Grammy for "Someday Baby" and the Dixie Chicks for best country performance by a duo or group with vocal for "Not Ready to Make Nice." So, if the chicks don't win during the telecast, they have missed their chance to say something controversial.
Dammit. I was sorta counting on that.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When her name was called out as the winner of the female country vocal solo performance, you had to figure she'd won a Grammy before. But actually, it's American Music Awards, Country Music Awards and People's Choice Awards that she's been cleaning up on in the past year.
"This is my first Grammy! Hopefully, the first of a few more!"
The "American Idol" winner from a few seasons back thanked the show's creator Simon Fuller and said: "That's the reason I'm here...I've been so blessed over the past couple of years and I'm so grateful for it."
Vince Gill won in the country male category but he was not present to accept his Grammy.

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

What can you say about Tony Bennett? He just keeps getting better all the time. His massive-selling duets album took the Grammy for traditional pop vocal performance. He must have run out of room for all of his Grammys by now...most of them won in the past decade or so of his career. Bennett accepted in person, unlike many big names, and he was overjoyed: "I have so many people to thank" including his sons who produced the record and his manager son Danny Bennett ("the greatest manager I've ever had.") Thank you! Thank you! Everybody thank you!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Has it really been 30 years since the phenomenon that was "Frampton Comes Alive." ? Time flies. How cool it was to see Peter Frampton win a Grammy today for pop instrumental album for "Fingerprints." With far less hair than in his hey-day, Frampton was also wearing a suit and tie as a tribute to his late father who died during the making of the album and who he said "was always my champion."
Frampton thanked his wive for "wholeheartedly understanding my passion for guitar playing." And he couldn't resist looking back when he was, for a time, the biggest rock star in the world: "Thirty years ago, I got nominated for another record. I didn't get that one as the pop star but today, I got this one as the musician."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Former president Jimmy Carter can add Grammy Award winner to Nobel Peace Prize winner. Carter was not present to accept but he won in the best spoken word category for "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis." Carter tied with Ruby Dee and her late husband, Ossie Davis, who won for the reading of their autobiography "Wikth Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together."
Dee, looking terrific in a blue suit, was present and accepted the Grammy for herself and her husband. "How exciting it is to be celebrating the spoken word." Dee referred to Davis in the present tense "because I truly believe he is here with us today. ..We had to beg him to do this and thank God we had a year to get it done.... We owe it to our children and their children to tell our stories so they will have a sense of themselves."
All five nominees in the category are forces to be reckoned with. They also included Bob Newhart's "I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!" Bill Maher's "New Rules - Polite Musings From a Timid Observer," and Al Franklin's "The Truth About Jokes."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The musical that tells the story of the singing group the Four Seasons did pretty well at the Tonys last year and now it is also a Grammy winner beating out the albums from the Broadway shows "The Color Purple," "The Drowsy Chaperone," "Sweeney Todd - The Demon of Barber Street," and the Harry Connick Jr. penned "The Pajama Game" in which Connick Jr. also starred.
Pretty tough competition.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who could blame presenter Lynn Redgrave for saying "I wish these guys would show up so I can say hello!" Those guys, who both won Grammys during the non-televised ceremony, are Bob Dylan (winner for contemporary folk album "Love is My Religion") and Bruce Springsteen for traditional folk album, "We shall overcome."
Good for them! It would be a shame if they missed the ceremony because they were stuck in traffic!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The winners are coming fast and furious now! One of them is Ike Turner for traditional blues album. He didn't mention Tina (did ya think he would?) but did say: "I want to say than ks to God and all my fans...I want to say thanks to everyone and thanks to God most of all." He looks nothing like Laurence Fishbourne who played him in the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It."

Joaquin Pheonix lost the best actor Oscar last year for "Walk the Line" but was the winner in the compilation soundtrack category. He wasn't present but the film's producer, James Keach, accepted on his behalf.

John Williams, who already has a gazillion Oscars for score, has two more Grammys today. He won for scoring the soundtrack album of "Memiors of a Geisha" and motion picture song ("A Prayer for Peace"). Sorry! don;t know the movie he wrote it for.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Miss Universe just struggled through the following sentence, "We accept this...on his behalf" The best latin pop album, best latin rock, best tropical album, best mexican-american almbum, best tejano album best banda, and best norteno album winners are ALL not here to accept. In protest, I refuse to print their names! I know this isn't televised but next time, show up to the Grammys! Shame on you!

In the rap categories, all no-shows. Justin Timberlake must be reheasing. He just won best rap song collaboration for "My Love" featuring T.I.. The other four rap winners were not present so I'll skip their names too!

Some gospel winners weren't there including Yolanda Adams but Johny Lang was here to pick up his trophy for best rock or rap gospel album (I didn't know there was such a thing! Cool!). Also present were most of the members of Third Day who won for best contemporary pop album: "This is amazing. We just walked in the door! You can't beat that. One of the guys is in the bathroom. Mark! You're missing out! We're winning a Grammy! Can't you hold it?"
P.S. Mark made it onto the stage in time to say a few words of thanks.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Good thing this isn't televised. Co-hosting the pre-show is guitarist Steve Vai and a very silly Miss Universe whose name I do not know. She just mispronounced Bruce Springsteen's name as the winner of the best video, long-form category. Who is this chick? I think Miss USA, the one who just got out of rehab, might have been more articulate now that she's sober as a judge. I hope she's laying off the sauce these days, she's a role model to millions!
OK, about five awards have been handed out and I can't pretend to care about recording package, boxed/limited edition package, historical album or classical engineering. The classical producer of the year winner just gave a super looooooooooooooooooooong speech. I ask you, is it really necessary to thank some dude who's been your friend for 35 years who has nothing to do with the music business.
Now they are in the opera categories. I. Have. The. Best. Job. In. The . World. Today. Still to come! Choral performance/1 chamber music! Classical crossover!
They are on number 12 on the agenda right now. I'm not even remotely interested until they get to number 20 which is Latin Pop Album.
Will check back then.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, I'm in a better mood. Just went wandering around looking for food and scored some peanuts, party mix and potato chips. I'm such a health nut. They were in a lounge and a security guard just shrugged his shoulder when I asked if I could have some. I took that as a big, fat yes! On my way down, I bumped into Justin from American Idol! Remember him from "When Justin met Kelly" or whatever that dumb movie was. His hair is as curly as ever. I wish I had hair. I asked him if he was presenting, he said no, he's at the Grammys working for the TV Guide channel.
"Hopefully I'll be p;resenting next year," he said, laughing.
I said to him: "Hope so!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember when the Grammys show was about handing out awards? We got to see all these acceptance speeches and people cry or laugh etc. Now, the three-hour telecast only has about a dozen televised award presentations and the rest is performances etc.
To be presented on air are: record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, new artist, pop collaboration, pop vocal album, rock album, female R&B vocal, R&B album, rap album and country album.
Among the NINETY-SEVEN categories awarded early before the telecast are such things as music video, rap song, male R&B solo performance, country song, male and female pop vocal solo, rock song, R&B song, comedy album and male and female country vocal.
I'll get to see it, but you won't! So I'll try and bring you some of the action as it happens. Some of the bigger stars might be home primping for the telecast so who knows. I remember Hillary Clinton actually showed up when she was awarded the best spoken word Grammy for the audio version of her "It Takes A Village Book.: Yes, the former First Lady, current U.S. senator and presidential candidate is a Grammy winner!
Anyway, some categories that no one will much miss being televised are chamber music performance, album notes, classical producer of the year, orchestra performance, instrumental composition, and New Age album.
Sheesh...it's gonna be a loooooooooooooooooooong day!
And I'm still hungry too. Beef jerky girl is avoiding eye contact w/me now. I think she's afraid I'm gonna eat all her snacks. And who's to say she's wrong?

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm in hell. Well, not really. But it's not great. I'm smashed up against a window in the press room at Staples Center and can't leave my seat unless I climb over three people. If there's a fire, Greg is burnt toast! The air conditioning is just kicking in so I'm no longer sweating but I just found out they won't be feeding us until 4:30! I didn't bring a lunch! A nice woman from Variety just gave me a piece of her beef jerky which I was going to eat slowly but have already stuffed into my mouth.
OK, I'll stop whining. I won't even go into the fact that my award show buddy and colleague Sandra and I walked all around and around the LA Convention Center grounds and Staples Center looking for a press check-in only to find out it was right near where we started looking in the first place. Oh well, I needed the workout.
This is NOT the glamorous assignment I envisioned. The non-televised part of the ceremony is starting at 1:30 p.m. and I'm in the room where all the winners will come and hopefully say SCANDALOUS things! Now I'll check back in a bit. I'm going to try and read some of the Grammy preview info so I will know who the heck people are when they come backstage!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One really cool thing about the Oscar nominees luncheon is that there is no pecking order when it comes to seating. Nominees are spread out throughout the Beverly Hilton Hotel ballroom which means there is no single table dedicated to "The Departed" or "Babel" etc. So this is why I found myself sitting right NEXT to Jennifer Hudson at lunch. You know, "Can you pass the butter?" close. She was very nice and remembered our little elevator ride at the SAG awards a few weeks ago when we chatted about the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack.
So that's pretty cool I figure, I'm good. Then a nice couple sits down to the left of me and it is Curtis Hanson and his wife. Curtis is not only an incredible director-screenwriter ("L.A. Confidential" "Wonder Boys") but he is also a member of the Academy's Board of Governors. I tell him how "Wonder Boys" is one of my very favorite films. He could not have been more friendly, full of questions and even stopping Sherry Lansing to introduce her to me as she makes her way to her table. Lansing is glowing and is to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscars.
Several other nominees are at out table including writer Todd Field who wrote "Little Children" and was nominated previously for the terrific "In the Bedroom," and film editing nominee Christopher Rouse ("United 93").
So, our table in pretty top-notch.
Then the table right next to us fills up and i realize I am sitting back-to-back with Leonardo DiCaprio. I've seen both "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed" in recent weeks and tell him how good he was in both. I also tell him how moved everyone was by his tribute to Martin Scorsese a few nights earlier at the Directors Guild of America Awards. Mark Wahlberg is also at that table and I congratulate him on his supporting actor nomination.
Even though I have covered the industry for going on eight years, I realize that this is a really singular experience for me and I try and take it all in. But I'm also hungry so I'm not so overcome with awe that I don't dig into an appetizer platter that includes vegetable sushi roll with wasabi caviar, peking duck in mandarin pancake, smoked salmon canape with dill mouse, and (my favorite): Kyoto Beef Roll with cumcumber and jicama. Hey, I don't know what half that stuff is but it was all printed in the program so I am able to inform you in detail. It was TASTY!
Jennifer (as in Hudson) is with her acting coach but spending a lot of time on her Blackberry. I later find out that it's her sister she's communicating with and they are dealing with their mother who is fretting over what to wear at the Oscars.
As we dig into our artichoke salad, I start my head around and see that sitting at the table next to DiCaprio's but up on another level of the ballroom, is Helen Mirren, looking as lovely as ever. Eddie Murphy is at another nearby table which also includes director James L. Brooks. Scorsese is nearby and Leonardo goes over to give him a hug hello.
Before we are served the main course, all of the nominees are called to the stage for a big group picture. That is fun to watch and it is even more fun when they are then called, one at a time, from the bleachers is reverse alphabetical order to receive their nomination certificate as well as a gift bag that includes an official Oscar sweatshirt as well as a T-shirt, each with a line from one of the best picture winners of years past.
The process takes a long time but I don't mind because Wahlberg got his early and I find that we are standing next to each other at our tables watching the rest of the nominees and clapping wildly. Curtis Hanson had gone to stand with James L. Brooks and Jennifer was still up there so I felt a little abandoned at my table.
When Jennifer gets back to our table, I ask her what line her T-shirt has. She takes it out of the bag and we look: it's Diane Keaton's "La di da" line from "Annie Hall."
At this point, DiCaprio and Wahlberg are about to skip out before the main meal and Jennifer shyly taps Leo on the shoulder to ask if she can get a photo taken with he and Mark. Leo, looking pleasantly surprised, said, "I'd be honored."
I was honored to share this lunch with all of them.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got to the Beverly Hilton Hotel kinda early to watch the stars walk in and saw Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith nearly cause a riot when they entered the lobby and fans were lined up with cameras. I don't think there is a nicer couple in Hollywood when it comes to fans. They posed for pics, signed things and looked happy and relaxed. Forest Whitaker was also working the line tirelessly as was Penelope Cruz. When Abigail Breslin, the little girl from "Little Miss Sunshine" was giving an autograph, I thought: 'How cute, some star is letting her daughter give a fan an autograph." Duh! I soon realized who it was! Mellissa Ethridge, looking terrific, caused a frenzy and radiated such great energy as she interacted with fans.
Once the stars made it past the fans and a roomful of photographers, they entered the ballroom with an entrance crammed with superstars, legends and other nominees. When former Academy President and Oscar winner Karl Malden, now into his 90s, made his way to the door, Clint Eastwood quickly walked over to warmly greet him. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg chatted against a back wall, out of eyeshot of most people. Djimon Hounsou stood near the entrance with his manager, looking dapper in a dark suit.
Now here's a scary moment for Peter O'Toole. He walks into the ballroom and the first face he see is...ME! Maybe I was the one who was scared. I had not thought he was coming since he missed the SAG Awards last week and the Golden Globe Awards in January. But there he was wearing a tan jacket and looking pleased to be among his peers. Our eyes met and I said: 'Peter O'Toole!" He smiled and said, "Hello." Then I said, "Good luck!"
Real articulate.
A few minutes, I see O'Toole hugging the very funny Bruce Vilanch who is usually on the writing staff for the Oscar telecast. They chat for a long while and at one point, O'Toole is petting Vilanch's trademark mop-top of blonde hair. After they parted, I walked over to Vilanch, who I have met several times in the past and said, "Do you and Peter O'Toole go way back?"
Bruce: "I'm the O'Toole family's pet Jew. I did 'An Evening with Peter O'Toole,' a one-man stage show, so I've known him for over 20 years. Whenever he comes into town, I get petted."
We both laugh. I laugh again when Helen Mirren walks in, with a friend, and is stuck in the middle of the crowd. She says: I don't know where we go here. Perhaps nowhere."
At one point, I stopped and took in my surroundings. Literally within a 10-feet radius of me are Penelope Cruz talking to Guillermo del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Will and Jada, Eddie Murphy and Sherry Lansing. It's surreal, and really terrific fun.
And lunch has not even started yet at this point. Will tell ya all about that in the next post.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
MARTIN SCORSESE
The Departed
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
This is Mr. Scorsese's seventh DGA Feature Film Award nomination and first win.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION
WALTER HILL
Broken Trail
(AMC)
This is Mr. Hill's second nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television * Dramatic Series Night * in 2004 for the pilot for Deadwood.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES NIGHT
JON CASSAR
24 * "7:00am * 8:00am"
(FOX)
This is Mr. Cassar's first win and second nomination.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
RICHARD SHEPARD
Ugly Betty - "Pilot"
(ABC)
This is Mr. Shepard's first DGA Award.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMS
TONY SACCO
Treasure Hunters "Episode #101"
(NBC)
This is Mr. Sacco's first DGA Award.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DAYTIME SERIALS
JILL MITWELL
One Life To Live - Episode #9779
(ABC)
This is Ms. Mitwell's third win and seventh DGA Award nomination in this category.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL VARIETY
ROB MARSHALL
Tony Bennett: An American Classic
(NBC)
This is Mr. Marshall's second win and third DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2002 for Chicago.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS
KENNY ORTEGA
High School Musical
(Disney Channel)
This is Mr. Ortega's first DGA Award.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIALS
DANTE ARIOLA
Production Company: MJZ
This is Mr. Ariola's first win and fourth DGA Award nomination in this category.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DOCUMENTARY
ARUNAS MATELIS
Before Flying Back to the Earth
(Studio Nominum, Tag/Traum)
This is Mr. Matelis' first DGA Award.

2007 DGA SERVICE AND CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS
CARL REINER * DGA HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP AWARD
Given Recognition of Service to the Directors Guild of America and Outstanding Creative Achievement
PARIS BARCLAY and TAYLOR HACKFORD * ROBERT B. ALDRICH SERVICE AWARD
For extraordinary service to the Directors Guild of America and its Membership
TERRY BENSON * FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
For an Associate Director or Stage Manager in Recognition of Career Achievement in the Industry and Service to the Directors Guild of America.
GEORGE PAUL * LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN NEWS DIRECTION
For distinguished achievement in News Directing.

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

So you've read all about the Scorsese win, the Sobieski display, the Leo appearance. But that wasn't all! I talked to some terrifically interesting men on their way into the dinner who do stellar work year after year but never have as many flashbulbs in their face as lesser talents often do.
Busy actor-director Charles Dutton, who won an Emmy for directing "The Corner" in 2000 and two Emmys fior acting, was DGA nominated for directing Showtime's "Sleeper Cell" but lost to Walter Hill, director of AMC's "Broken Trail." ' I'm in an impressive category, all the other four nominees have quite interesting films so I'm quite pleased." "Every time I've directed, I've always been sort of forced into it because I wasn't interested. My agent basically had to twist my arm. i guess I have a love-hate relationship with directing. Directing is like washing a battleship with a Q-tip. I'd rather avoid it. Acting is you stay in your trailer and can be a pampered spoiled brat and get paid a lot of money."
Dutton has starred in the series "Roc" and such acclaimed television movies as "The Piano Lesson," "Blind Faith" and "Threshold."
Another acclaimed actor-director in the TV movie category was Edward James Olmos, up for directing the HBO film "Walkout" which he also appears in as an actor. Olmos, an Oscar nominee for "Stand and Deliver" and an Emmy winner for "Miami Vice," is currently riding high playing commander William Adama on "Battestar Galactica." But it is clear that to him, "Walkout" ranks among the most important work he has ever done.
Based on a true story, the movie tells the story students who stage a walkout at five East Los Angeles high schools in 1968, to protest educational conditions and complain of anti-Mexican educational bias along with some 10,000 students.
"I'm very grateful to be here nominated for a film that is unbelievably important and I'm glad that the directors took a look at it and gave it the time of day because the events that happened in which they beat children, here is Los Angeles here in 1968 and no one knew about it until 1995 when we found the raw stock footage in the vault of a major broadcast network, then we started to try and make the film. And it took HBO and a lot of disclipline for over 10 years to try and make that film and I'm very grateful that they did it."
"Walkout will be used by a lot of different people," Olmos said, adding that the film comes out on DVD in March.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For anyone who has attended the Directors Guild of America Awards in recent years, it is a marvel to watch Carl Reiner, coming up on his 85th birthday, host the evening with such quick wit and charm. He is spontanious, fearless and very, very funny. He is a marvel.
He walked out the host the show for the 19th consecutive year and said: "I don't need this. I'm 84 years old, gonna be 85...the pressure is too much at this age!"
He was funny all night long, no fade toward the end, and had the audience, which included his director son Rob Reiner, in stiches. And it was so nice that right before Martin Scorsese was given the top prize of the night, Steve Martin, who Reiner directed in 1984's "All of Me," took the stage to present Reiner with the DGA's Lifetime Membership Award.
Reiner accepted it with mock attitude: I'm 85 years old...if I live to 100, it;s not much. If they had given this to me when I was 42 or 43, it might have meant something! I might not accept this!"
But in the end, he did accept it and it was well deserved. The DGA Awards are as fun as they are, year after year, because Carl Reiner is the host.
They don't come any funnier.

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

For a mayor, he's got some real star quality. In a ballroom filled with Hollywood heavyweights from Spielberg to Scorsese to DiCaprio, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had complete control of Saturday night's Directors Guild of America Awards when he took the stage to present the Aldrich Award to Taylor Hackford in honor of his service to the guild.
"I have a confession to make," the mayor told the crowd. "What I really want to do is direct."
Villaraigosa went on to pay tribute to the entertainment industry which he said sustains the city and provides thousands of local.jobs. His presenation was near-perfection except when the mayor tried to say the name Paris Barclay. He called him "Boris Parkley."
Gee, it's not such a difficult name...not when you compare it to Villaraigosa!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There was some senitment that this year's Directors Guild of America Awards were not as star-studded as in years past. Maybe. But those who did show up were first-rate and some are among the hottest stars in the business. "Ugly Betty" star America Fererra, 2007 Oscar nominees Jennifer Hudson and Alan Arkin, Steve Martin, ABC anchor Charles Gibson, the lovely Maria Bello, 2007 Golden Globe winner Kyra Segdwick, Aaron Eckhart, 2007 SAG winner Chandra Wilson, and "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman.

At the top of the list would have to be Leonardo DiCaprio who has grown from teen actor to 20-something hearthrob to absolute movie superstar in his early 30s. Between his Oscar-nominated performance in "Blood Diamond" and Golden Globe and SAG nominated performance in "The Departed," this is causing people to really take notice that he is becoming the finest actor of his generation. And the respect he showed in honoring Martin Scorsese was so touching. It was about loving film and looking up to a man who had taught him so much. It wasn't about all the silliness that Hollywood and the awards season can so often be about.
Then you had Hudson, one of the most wonderful a star is born stories in Hollywood history. First movie role results in a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award and an Oscar nomination. Her performance in "Dreamgirls," especially her show-stopping number "And I'm Tellin You I'm Not Going," is one for the ages. She is still inexperienced at these events and read her tribute to Bill Condon off a sheet of paper instead of a teleprompter and stumbled a few times. But in the end, enough of her warmth and personality came through and she did Condon proud.
Aaron Eckhart, looking more like a big movie star all the time, has been more of a red carpet fixture this year than ever before thanks to his Golden Globe-nominated performance in "Thank You For Smoking." He was on hand Saturday night to present the best documentary prize to Arunas Matelis for "Before Flying Back to the Earth." Matellas and I spoke on the red carpet before the show and he was hopeful that awards recognition would get his film, about children living with leukemia in a pediatric hospital in Lithuania, more widely seen. "It is not a film just about the pain...It's about our destiny, our faith, our friends, our whole lives."
It was great talking to "Babel" director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu who I first met back in 2001 at Miramax's Golden Globes party (Where does the time go?) and he was talking about his "Ameros Perros." Inarritu (pictured at another event) is such a passionate filmmaker and we talked about all of the awards show hoopla he finds himself in the center of, especially after "Babel" took home the best picture-drama prize at the Golden Globes last month. He is up for the Oscar as well.
"It's fun, it's overwhelming, it's exhausting, it's everything," he said. "It's a great honor to be nominated with people like Martin Scorsese and Stephen Frears and Clint Eastwood it's already a huge honor for me. I knew this film would take me a lot of time, three years of my life. A liver, a piece of my heart. Film can kill you!"
They may have missed out on an Oscar nomination for "Little Miss Sunshine," but the husband and wife directing team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were basking in the glow of the DGA nomination and received a very warm and funny tribute from Steve Carell, one of the stars of their film. On her way into the show, Faris told me: "I'm very honored to be in this group of directors and to be nominated for our first film, it's incredible. It took us five years." She added that she planned to enjoy Oscar night with "Sunshine" up for best picture: 'I'm going to have fun. I have nothing to worry about. Just to be nominated [for best picture] blew our minds."
And before her wardrobe malfunction stole the show, I said hello to LeeLee Sobieski on the red carpet. I had done a magazine profile on her a few years back and she is even more beautiful now. I asked her what she had been up to: 'I've finished six films, one called "88 Minutes" with Al Pacino." (she rattled off a few more titles but was talking so fast I had some trouble transcribing 'em). But I did get this parting line: "I'm having a great time and I'm really excited about tonight!"
And what a night for LeeLee, for everyone.
I can't wait till next year!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was a heckuva night on Saturday at the star-studded Directors Guild of America Awards where the great Martin Scorsese finally won the prestigious industry prize for "The Departed." He was presented the trophy by Steven Spielberg and said: "It's the first time I've been given this recognition...I didn't think I'd be standing here tonight I can tell you that...I am greatly honored."
But just as touching was earlier in the evening when a dashing Leonardo DiCaprio, star of "The Departed" as well as Scorsese's "The Aviator" and "The Gangs of New York" showed such class and respect when presenting his mentor and "teacher" a nomination medallion. (What's cool about the DGAs is that all the five feature film nominees get a big presentation from one of the stars of their film so everyone is a winner on this night). DiCaprio, easily the most handsome man in the room, said he was "foirever changed" by the seven years he has spent working with Scorsese. "He's not just a director, he's an educator."
Scorsese was so clearly moved by DiCaprio's tribute and it was indeed the most heartfelt of the night: "That was beutiful Leo. Thank you. Thank you. My God. That was quite moving."

Besides the Scorsese win, the other most buzzed-about moment of the night was about presenter LeeLee Sobieski who was presenting the daytime television directorial prize. The statuesque beauty walked out wearing a very revealing dress that would make Carmen Electra look like a nun. As she began her presentation, the dress shifted and half of her breast was exposed. She was completely unaware and kept on with her presentation which was filled with seductive lines about each soaps plotline. She went on and on and on. The audience was spellbound. When the ballroom was darkened to show clips of the nominees, Sobieski remained on the stage to prepare to announce the winner. No one told her of her waredrobe malfunction or ran out with some double-stick tape to rescue her. She announed the winner, breast nipple still exposed and was asked to read the absent winner's acceptance speech. She did. It was a long one. She remained projected on all of the big screens in the ballroom. It was like we were all in grade school with the room buzzing and people giggling.
Host Carl Reiner, who would remark about all that had gone on, left that one alone. But Maria Bello took the stage in a red dress with a pluinging neckline and said the audience: "Please, dear God someone tell me if my boob falls out. Please, be brave." She then jokingly covered her breasts with both hands for a second before reading the nominations.
But the LeeLee fin was not over. Presenter Steve Martin tool the stage and said: "Sorry I was a little late. I was backstage trying to convince LeeLee Sobieski that the best way to remove double-sided tape is with saliva."
BIG laugh followed.
I will say this: Sobieski did not let it get her down. After the show, she was strolling around the ballroom looking very lovely (malfunctioned fixed), posed for pictures with fans and appeared to be in a very good mood. I personally wanted to throw a poncho over her or something.
What a night.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maybe you're a parent who spent more time last year in the G and PG realm of singing slugs and dancing penguins. Or maybe you mistakenly thought "The Good Shepherd" was a sure contender. Now it's almost time to fill out your Oscar ballot and you realize you haven't seen a single one of the candidates for best picture.
AMC is here for you. They've just announced that on Saturday, Feb. 24, AMC Burbank 16 will screen the entire slate back to back, starting at 11 a.m. That's "Babel," "The Queen," "The Departed," "Letters From Iwo Jima" and "Little Miss Sunshine" for one $30 ticket (and please note, the R rating rule applies to all). With a free large popcorn, free large soda and unlimited refills, it's probably the best deal this side of Netflix.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)