Free Speech At Oscars

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Keith Olbermann touched on a topic that was on many peoples minds after the show was over: Did the free speech at the Oscars get too political? Just a few years ago Michael Moore was booed off stage for his political comments but this year Sean Penn gets a standing ovation. What's up with that? Well, there are a few things to keep in mind (some of these points may be in the video). First of all, when Moore made his anti-Bush speech we had just gotten into the war with Iraq and people weren't feeling very opposed to the war for the most part. We had just come off of September 11th and America was in a bit of a depressed state where we were having trouble doing the things that made us happy. The feeling was so strong that the Oscars were in fear of being canceled out of guilt that it was wrong to be handing out awards when America was still grieving from it's tragic loss.

Another thing is that when Moore made his speech he did so to make the night about him, him, and him. Other actors, producers, and cameramen made comments about the war, but they were graceful and understanding. Not to mention at the time Hollywood was actually fairly polarized on what to feel about the war. It had supporters and opponents, so a mixed reaction was bound to happen. Fast forward to this years Oscars and it should come as no surprise why most of these controversial speeches didn't bother anyone. Prop 8 is still weighing heavy on peoples minds. Most of the people in Hollywood aren't religious and I can almost assure you that the few that are weren't at the show to boo Bill Maher. Then we had Dustin Lance Black, who made his political speech elegant and understanding. Compassionate as well.

Even people who don't agree with his statement had a difficult time not tearing up during it. And in truth, the only speech that rubbed people the wrong way was that of Sean Penn. Yeah, there was no booing at the show, but keep in mind: He was in a crowd of people who agreed with him. In the real world his speech has caused the biggest rift. Telling people that they should hang their head in shame for the hate they display by voting for the passing of Prop 8 is not how you make your point. Agree or not, people had their own reasons for voting the way they did. Besides, Penn has been known to be a bit homophobic himself in the past, so who's he to lecture people on how to act towards the gays and lesbians? As with every year there were speeches I liked and speeches I didn't like. But actors always make political speeches like these at the Oscars.

Do I feel they belong there? No. To quote screenplay writer Paddy Chayefsky after Vanessa Redgrave gave the audience her pro-Palestinian views during her acceptance speech:

"Before I get on to the writing awards, there's a little matter I'd like to tidy up--at least if I expect to live with myself tomorrow morning. I would like to say, personal opinion, of course, that I'm sick and tired of people exploiting the Academy Awards for the propagation of their own personal propaganda.

I would like to suggest to Miss Redgrave that her winning an Academy Award is not a pivotal moment in history, does not require a proclamation and a simple 'thank you' would have sufficed."

This small speech, which should be played before an Oscar telecast every year there is a politically sensitive topic in the running is - I feel - the poster child for what's wrong with political Oscar speeches.

Nolan To Pass On Batman 3?

Now before anyone freaks out about that headline keep this in mind: Yes, Nolan still has a gentleman's agreement with Warner Bros. to do the sequel to "The Dark Knight." He is currently writing the script for the third installment while he is preparing to shoot his first non-superhero film in awhile, "Inception." Part of the agreement Warner Bros. had with funding Nolan's new film is that he return for a third Batman film. Deals change though, and while I'm sure Nolan wouldn't simply pass up the third film before completing the trilogy he had in mind, just in case he does decide that he's had enough of the superhero world Warner Bros. has a backup: Zack Snyder, director of "300" and the upcoming "Watchmen" film.

This was reported by IGN who is hit or miss when it comes to these rumors, so don't start freaking out yet (or starting a petition that most likely wouldn't work anyway), this is just a rumor at the moment. It does make me wonder what a third Batman film would look like without Nolan though. Chances are the on-set locations would be replaced with green screen effects, and the villains would be even more out-of-this-world then usual. But even if this comes to pass keep in mind the silver lining: Even if Nolan doesn't direct there's a pretty solid chance his script will still be used with minor only minor changes made.

Early Oscar Predictions

Yes, the year may have just started but it's never too early to start predicting the nominees for next years Academy Awards. To view list, click here for a graphics friendly version of the story. Maybe I'll post a text version of it later on down the road.

Get Better Soon Jack

I'm not sure what the main goal is behind the new Jack-In-The-Box campaign, which finds one of fast foods most iconic (and profitable) faces gets hit by a bus and winds up in a coma, but whatever they are planning to do I just want to say that I'm all for Jack getting better. I don't buy much food from the company, but their ads are consistently funny, so it would be a shame if they were to cease to exist because of this.

Full List of 2008 Winners

Well the show is over and now it's time to wipe the sidebar clean and move on with predicting next years nominees. Time flies when doing awards predictions, but the sad reality is this thing never stops. At the end of the journey it's as if a book has been written, and one has nothing left to do but to start all over again. I've already wiped the sidebar clean and added a few early predictions from films I've seen, and those predictions will morph and shift over the course of the year. Before completely moving on though, lets look at this years winners one more time:

BEST PICTURE

'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, producer

LEAD ACTOR

Sean Penn in 'Milk' (Focus Features)

LEAD ACTRESS

Kate Winslet in 'The Reader' (The Weinstein Company)

DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

'Departures' -- Japan (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners production

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight' (Warner Bros)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz in 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' (The Weinstein Company)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Dustin Lance Black for 'Milk' (Focus Features)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Simon Beaufoy for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

ANIMATED FEATURE

Andrew Stanton for 'WALL-E' (Walt Disney)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Kunio Kato for 'La Maison en Petits Cubes' (A Robot Communications Production)

ART DIRECTION

Donald Graham Burt for art direction and Victor J. Zolfo for set decoration on 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (Paramount and Warner Bros)

COSTUME DESIGN

Michael O’Connor for 'The Duchess' (Paramount Vantage, Pathe and BBC Films)

MAKEUP

Greg Cannom for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (Paramount and Warner Bros)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Anthony Dod Mantle for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

LIVE ACTION SHORT FIRM

Jochen Alexander Freydank for 'Spielzeugland (Toyland)', a Mephisto Film production

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

James Marsh and Simon Chinn for 'Man on Wire' (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall production

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Megan Mylan for 'Smile Pinki', a Principle production

VISUAL EFFECTS

Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (Paramount and Warner

Bros)

SOUND EDITING

Richard King for 'The Dark Knight' (Warner Bros)

SOUND MIXING

Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

FILM EDITING

Chris Dickens for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

ORIGINAL SCORE

A.R. Rahman for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

ORIGINAL SONG

'Jai Ho' from 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight), music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Gulzar

Judd Aptow Ruled Oscars

One of the highlights to last nights show was a "Pineapple Express" skit starring Seth Rogan and James Franco. The skit was written and directed by Judd Apatow, who wrote a skit that actually summed up how people feel about Oscars. Sadly, the average joe can't stand Oscars. He looks at Oscar nominated films as overblown and silly. He'd much rather watch something braindead and fun. Does that make the Academy Wrong? Not really, but this is the reason why people don't watch Oscars: They ultimately just don't care.

It's An Honor To Be Nominated...Right?

In celebration of this blogs 200th post let's look at this nice little montage of actors and actresses who were nominated, claimed it was an honor to be so, and then went on to be visually disappointed that they don't.

'Slumdog' Wins Best Picture

As you may have heard "Slumdog Millionaire" is our latest Best Picture winner. It also had almost a complete sweep, winning everything except Best Sound Editing ("The Dark Knight") and their other Best Song nomination (which was never going to happen unless they tied with themselves). Full list of winners with commentary later.

Tomorrow's The Big Night!

Well folks, tomorrow is the big night. A year of blogging, predictions, and let downs have led us to this moment. What will you be doing tomorrow? Party? Live blogging? Or do you plan to skip the Oscars all together (something I've been hearing more of then any other year). Share your feelings in the comment box below.

New "Angels & Demons" Trailer

Who knows if it's going to be nominated for Oscars, but Ron Howards adaptation of Dan Brown's underrated (and far superior) book "Angels & Demons" is looking promising. Course, "The Da Vinci Code" looked promising too, and look what happened there:

Travolta vs. Washington

The international trailer for "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" has been leaked. This is the next film from Tony Scott starring international stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta:

Since this is a Tony Scott film I'm going to assume that this is going to be an average action film and will not be seen at the Oscars next year, but given the drought of movies we're about to receive I think we should at least consider some potential acting nods. Washington is already a two-time winner, one of which was for starring in "Training Day," so that could work for or against him. The likely nominee would be Travolta, who was nominated but has yet to win. Both these actors will have to shine though. Action movies are made and broken on the acting. Oh, some people will say that they live on their action, but explosions and gun fights are a dime-a-dozen. The action films that are remembered the most, like "Die Hard," "Heat," "Goodfellas," "Speed," "Payback," "Lethal Weapon," "Blood Diamond," and so forth are remembered mostly for their acting.

The stories may be pretty good, but most of these stories are similar, and it's the acting that elevates them above the rest. This movie will need great acting if it's to survive the ages. I'm sure it won't matter with the box office, but to have staying power...well, you get the idea.

Oscar Winners Leaked?

According to this site they have been. Here's the list:

• Actor in a leading role: Mickey Rourke
• Actor in a supporting role: Heath Ledger
• Actress in a leading role: Kate Winslet
• Actress in a supporting role: Amy Adams
• Animated Feature Film: Wall-E
• Art Direction: The Dark Knight
• Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
• Costume Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Directing: Slumdog Millionaire
• Documentary feature: Man on Wire
• Documentary short: The Conscience of Nhem En
• Film editing: Milk
• Foreign language film: Departures
• Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Music (Score): Defiance
• Music (Song): Down to Earth (Wall-E)
• Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
• Short film (animated): Presto
• Short film (live action): Auf Der Strecke (On The Line)
• Sound editing: Wall-E
• Sound mixing: The Dark Knight
• Visual effects: Iron Man
• Writing (Adapted screenplay): The Reader
• Writing (Original screenplay): In Bruges

Well...it's an interesting list. On one hand it sounds pretty reasonable. On the other hand there are some strange listings on it. Most of the acting categories are going as according to plan...but Amy Adams? Well, okay, I'm not going to rule her out yet. Yeah it's the weakest performance of the three, but she obviously has enough love to get a nomination for a role like that, and the strong support for Penelope Cruz and Viola Davis could certainly split the vote. The thing that sticks out for this is the screenplays. It seems a bit weird that "The Reader" would get Best Adapted Screenplay when "Slumdog Millionaire" is winning everything. But I think the one that stands out is "In Brudges" winning Best Original Screenplay. For starters "Milk" is the sole nomination in this category that has a Best Picture nomination, and that usually results in a win. It could split it's vote with "Wall-E," but it feels like such a long shot.

I also find it odd that "The Dark Knight" and "Wall-E" share sound awards, seeing that the sound awards usually both go to the same film. Not to mention the Academy is VERY protective of the results, and chances are this is more of an educated guess then anything! So my opinion is that I wouldn't use this as a betting guide...that said, these upsets seem at the very least logical, so if this list does prove to be legit then we are looking at at least a few upsets.

Jonas Brothers: Bigger Then The Beatles (Possibly Even Jesus)

Okay, so they aren't as big as The Beatles and likely never will be, but they will be coming to IMAX 3D in about a month...

...which means all you girls who loved them in "Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds" can get ready to watch another manufactured band from the Disney tween machine. This is perfect timing because with "Hannah Montana: The Movie" coming out and rumors of Miley Cyrus opting out of a third season...well, the Jonas Brothers seem to be the perfect replacement. Wholesome, good looking, and easy on the ears. They may be instantly forgettable but with faces like that you can sell a lot of posters which will in turn kill a lot of trees (so much for kids going green these days). So if this is such a marketing ploy why am I bothering to blog about it in the first place (and on an Oscar site no less)?

Easy: Because this is Disney's first movie on the IMAX since they released "Treasure Planet" on it years ago. Yeah, I know they released a couple of hour long documentaries in the past few years, but this is the first real movie they are releasing on IMAX since they decided the format wasn't really that profitable. I'm hoping the sucess of this will lead Disney to release their 3D remasters of Best Picture nominee "Beauty & The Beast" and "Toy Story" on IMAX as well as conventional theaters. I saw "Beauty & The Beast" on IMAX about eighr years ago and I still remember the experience. I was crushed when I found out we wouldn't get the IMAX versions of "Aladdin," "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," or "The Little Mermaid" in this format. Hopefully this 3D thing will bring in lots of dough for Disney and convince them to give these films a second chance on the really big screen.

How Good Are Your Eyes?

I was pointed to this video on YouTube that is, frankley, the most interesting idea someone came up with on YouTube: A YouTube scavenger hunt. It's right here:

Basically the game is where you look at two pictures and you try to find out what's different in the second picture. You click on one of the squares and then it either brings you to the next picture or you go to screen that says you're wrong. This may sound simple but the game becomes maddeningly difficult is the later stages, so much so that you'll be tempted to cheat. Don't. For one thing cheating will require more time and effort then guessing, and for the second thing you can't search for the ending. Trust me, this guy covered his tracks pretty good. All you can do is play the game. Let's see how observant you all are.

New Image of Disney's "The Princess & The Frog"

The more I see of it the more of a believer I am. As I mentioned before journelists are supposed to be agnostic regrading upcoming films. While there are certainly some films you look forward to seeing more then others, the point is not to get your hopes up too high based on any pre-release stuff you see. Studios want you to pay money to see their product, and they will decorate crap to look and smell like chocolate ice cream so long as you'll buy it. But I have to admit I'm really looking forward to Disney's "The Princess & The Frog" (which is levitating between a July and December release if I recall). I got this from Jim Hill Media.com...

...and I'm offcially a fan. Right now I don't even care if the movie is good or not. Well...I take that back, I do care, but the bottom line is Disney is finally returning to their element: Making beautiful handrawn films. I look at that screenshot and am blown away. I even get a little choked up because this is the most beautiful piece of animation Disney's produced since they released "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (the following movie, "Hurcules," marked the begining of the "jaded" animation look Disney's later films became known for). As colorful as "The Emperor's New Groove" and as lush as "Beauty & The Beast," this one shot raises the bar of the movie by so much. The only thing I'm concerned about now is the fact that Randy Newman replaced Alan Menkin to write the score and songs. Sorry Randy, but when it comes to song writers Menkin is king...and maybe Phil Collins too.

Predicting Next Years Oscars

Most of the time people who run awards sites like these don't start predicting the next years winners until at least the current year is over. But with "Slumdog Millionaire" so obviously winning the race and Heath Ledger all but a sure thing, this Oscar race is getting a bit...boring. Seriously though when you think about this is a year for locks: 'Slumdog' wins Picture, Danny Boyle wins Director, Kate Winslet wins Actress, Ledger wins Supporting Actor, "Wall-E" wins Animated Feature, on and on it goes. Right now I'd say the only real race we have is between Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke for Best Actor. So yesterday I made an early list of predictions for next years Oscars, in the vein of Everything Oscar's year predix list. I'm holding off posting it until after the awards airs, but I figured since this year is pretty much a done deal it's time to move on. So I've got material to share with you pretty much directly after the Oscars air next Sunday so that this site can keep on trucking.

Foreign Poster of 'Docter Parnassus'

Though the Joker will most likely always be considered Heath Ledger's swan song it's not the last time we'll see him on the big screen. That's because he filmed some of Terry Gilliams next film, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." Despite his death Gilliam was determined to salvage Ledger's footage. We'll see whether he was successful or not in a few months, but for now we have an international poster for the film. And judging from what I see here...

...it's going to be vintage Gilliam weirdness. Gilliam is a director who is one of the more ambitious ones working today. The problem is when he fails, he fails BIG! Sadly he tends to fail more then he succeeds, and he directed Ledger and Matt Damon in one of their worst movies ever. This poster doesn't seem to let on that Ledger is in this movie, or his other co-stars, or even what the movie is about. Will it get Oscar consideration? Perhaps. Ledger may be up for another Oscar nod if the Academy can benefit from his wave of praise. Will the movie do well at the box office? I have no idea. Once again though we'll just have to wait and see.

Tarantino's Latest

Quentin Tarantino has always been a puzzling film maker (if we were to be kind). He blasted onto the Oscar scene with his multi-nominated film "Pulp Fiction" and has since done little but indulge himself with pet projects and satire. He spends years apart between films, and when they are released they are usually a tough sell. His previous effort was the "Grindhouse" disaster that he collaborated on with fellow director Robert Rodrgieuz. When I heard he was making a WWII film I knew it was going to be unlike any WWII film we'd seen before. Well, now that we've got the trailer to that film...

...I'd have to say I was right. Right now I'm not sure whether this movie is supposed to be taken seriously or not. The preview both suggests a drama and comedy. The title though, curiously named "Inglorious Basterds," suggests a farce. After making "Burn After Reading" though I'm not sure if Brad Pitt would commit to a similar film so shortly afterwards. Who knows if this will be Oscar material, but one thing you can always count on with Tarentino is that you won't be bored with the final results.

It Had To Be Hugh (Jackman)

Oscars.com has posted this nice promo piece of Hugh Jackman for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Feel free to drool over the sexy layout:

Peter Gabriel Pulls Out of Oscar

Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood reports that Peter Gabriel will NOT be performing his Oscar-nominated song "Down To Earth" from "Wall-E" at the Oscars this year! This is the result of the producers trying once again to getting the show down to less then three hours. Unless the Academy starts giving away less awards this is not going to happen. You know it and I know it. In a letter to the Academy Gabriel says:

"I was delighted when "Down to Earth" was nominated for an Oscar. I was also pleased to have been asked to perform the song in the Oscar ceremony. However, in recent discussions with the Producers, it became clear that despite there being only three nominees, only 60-65 seconds was being offered, and that was also in a medley of the three songs. I don't feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and have decided to withdraw from performing.

I fully respect and look forward to the Producers' right to revamp the show. Even though song writers are small players in the film making process, they are just as committed and work just as hard as the rest of the team and I regret that this new version of the ceremony is being created, in part, at their expense."

I still very much look forward to attending the ceremony."

I'm sorry to see that we won't see Pete singing the song. Part of me also wonders if this choice could hurt the songs chances of winning the gold. Regardless, this is bad news for the Academy who is already faced with the possability of the worst rated Oscar telecast in years. No Dark Knight, no Peter Gabriel, no Bruce Springsteen, no Miley Cyrus, no "Wall-E" (kind of)...it's getting to be a mess folks. This is going to be one interesting year to see if the Academy can pull themselves out of this mess.

Coming Soon: "Anna Nicole Smith: The Musical"

This is no joke everyone. According to Variety (a pretty trustworthy magazine) Anna Nicole Smiths life will be turned into a Broadway musical. Again, no joke. Here's what they have to say:

The fine line between opera and soap opera just got blurrier.

Britain's Royal Opera said it is planning a show based on the life of Anna Nicole Smith, the model and stripper who married an octogenarian oil tycoon, starred in her own TV show and died of a drug overdose in 2007.

The company says the show will have music by respected British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. The libretto is by Richard Thomas, co-creator of "Jerry Springer: The Opera," an earlier merger of highbrow and lowbrow culture. It is due to run in the Royal Opera's 2011 season.

The company's director of opera, Elaine Padmore, told The Guardian newspaper the show "is not going to be tawdry; it is going to be witty, clever, thoughtful and sad."

"It is not just a documentary about her, but a parable about celebrity and what it does to people," she said.

Smith was Playboy's Playmate of the Year in 1993, and the next year married 89-year-old J. Howard Marshall II. After his death the following year, she fought a protracted legal battle with his son over his estimated $500 million fortune.

Smith died at 39 in February 2007, five months after the death of her 20-year-old son from her first marriage. Daniel Smith died of an accidental overdose in the Bahamas hospital room where his mother had days earlier given birth to a daughter.

All I can say is don't count me in line to see the movie. Oh come on, you KNOW they'll be making a movie of this afterwards! It's the Hollywood thing to do.

Most Uncomfertable Letterman Interview?

This has easily got to be the most uncomfortable five minutes on David Letterman ever. Oscar-nominee Jaoquin Phoenix showed up with an ugly beard, giving one word responses and...well, I don't want to spoil it for you, so just check it out:

I don't know what's with this guy. Seriously. He says he intends to retire from acting and start a hip hop career. Well, after seeing his first live performance...

...I have to agree that no matter how much he assures us he's serious, this comes off as a big joke. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Ebert Weighs In On Oscar Nominees

Roger Ebert concluded his annual Oscar predictions this week with a complete run through of the important categories. Very few surprises to be found. He does predict the Academy picking Viola Davis in "Doubt" for Best Supporting Actress as opposed to Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Christina Barcelona," and he boldly picks Sean Penn the winner for Best Actor in "Milk" as opposed to Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler." Otherwise though it's all routine:

Best Picture - "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger
Best Animated Film - "Wall-E"

The biggest thing he questions is the Best Adapted Screenplay category, where he writes:

Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog Millionaire." It took enormous research and energy to create this story spanning 20 years and parallel narrative strands, and employ traditional narrative formulas in a film that seemed so wholly original. The other contender may be Eric Roth, for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." But if he wins, there may be the rare possibility of actual booing from the audience. Too many now realize that what Roth adapted was not so much the F. Scott Fitzgerald story, but his own screenplay for "Forrest Gump." Some half a million users saw a funny YouTube "trailer" comparing scene-by-scene parallels in the two films, before Paramount's complaints forced the site to take it down. Cynics say Roth has already won an Oscar for this material.

You can view said trailer on this very site. If the legal whores have taken it down though then a simple Google search should suffice. Just type in "The Curious Case of Forrest Gump."

More Anti-PayPal Vids

Been awhile since I dumped on eBay and PayPal. Here's a video for not doing so for awhile:

Awesome Mickey Rouke Speech

'Slumdog' & "Milk" Win WGA

The Writers Guild of America has spoken, and they have deemed Dustin Lance Black's "Milk" the winner of Best Original Screenplay and Simon Beaufoy's "Slumdog Millionaire" the winner for Best Adapted Screenplay. The rest of the winners below:

2009 WGA WINNERS:

SCREEN WINNERS

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Milk,” Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Slumdog Millionaire,” Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Waltz with Bashir,” Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics

TELEVISION WINNERS

DRAMATIC SERIES
“Mad Men,” Written by Lisa Albert, Jane Anderson, Rick Cleveland, Kater Gordon, David Isaacs, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Marti Noxon, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES
“30 Rock,” Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Andrew Guest, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Ron Weiner; NBC

NEW SERIES
“In Treatment,” Written by Rodrigo Garcia, Bryan Goluboff, Davey Holmes, William Merritt Johnson, Amy Lippman, Sarah Treem; HBO

EPISODIC DRAMA – any length – one airing time
“Pilot” (Breaking Bad), Written by Vince Gilligan; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY – any length – one airing time
“Succession” (30 Rock), Written by Andrew Guest & John Riggi; NBC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL
“Recount,” Written by Danny Strong; HBO

LONG FORM – ADAPTATION
“John Adams,” “Episode 1, Join or Die,” Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; “Episode 2, Independence,” Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; HBO

ANIMATION – any length – one airing time
“Apocalypse Cow” (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; Fox

COMEDY/VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES
“Saturday Night Live,” Head Writers Seth Meyers, Andrew Steele, Paula Pell, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Charlie Grandy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, Robert Smigel, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketches by Robert Carlock; NBC

COMEDY/VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
“2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards,” Written by Billy Kimball, Aaron Lee, Jennifer Celotta, Rainn Wilson; IFC/AMC

DAYTIME SERIALS
“As the World Turns,” Written by Jean Passanante, Leah Laiman, Courtney Simon, Lisa Connor, David A. Levinson, Peter Brash, Richard Culliton, Susan Dansby, Cheryl Davis, Leslie Nipkow; CBS

CHILDREN'S EPISODIC & SPECIALS
“Elmo's Christmas Countdown” (Sesame Workshop), Written by Joey Mazzarino; ABC

CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
“Polar Bears” (The Naked Brothers Band), Written by Polly Draper; Nickelodeon

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS
“Bush's War: Part One” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Secrets of the Parthenon” (NOVA), Written by Gary Glassman; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“ABC Weekend News,” Written by Joel Siegel, Karen Mooney, David Muir; ABC

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Yankee Stadium and the New Gilded Age” (Bill Moyers Journal), Writers Bill Moyers & Michael Winship; PBS

RADIO WINNERS

DOCUMENTARY
“Black History Month,” Written by Anthony J. McHugh; CBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING
“World News This Week,” Written by Marianne J. Pryor; ABC

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Tributes,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS

PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ART WINNERS

ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)
“Jericho: Two-Minute Drills,” Written by Eric Jacobson; CBS

TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION
“Medical Animations” (CBS Evening News), David Rosen; CBS

VIDEOGAME WINNERS

VIDEOGAME WRITING
“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,” Writers Haden Blackman, Shawn Pitman, John Stafford

and Cameron Suey, LucasArts

"Coraline" Opens Big

Some of you may be worried that I'm jumping the gun a bit, but in my eyes "Coraline" has solidified it's status of being an early contender for the Best Animated Film Oscar for this year. The movie has opened to great reviews (88% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.com) and good box office (close to $5 in it's first day). Considering we live in a world of computer animation and fart jokes, this is pretty impressive. I wrote about the project when I first heard about it, and despite being in a position where I'm supposed to be agnostic about a films prospects, I had a good feeling about this film. The combination of stop-motion master Henry Selleck and graphic novel genius Neil Gaiman sounded like a recepeit for instant magic. I haven't seen the film yet. I was supposed to see it last night but there was a problem and I couldn't go. Now that word-of-mouth is out on how good this film is I feel more mad that I didn't get to see it last night.

I also feel "Coraline" is the first horse in a race that hasn't been interesting in years. I love Pixar as much as the next person, but it's frustrating to see them win every year. Of course, the only reason this is the case is because the competition normally doesn't step up to the plate to offer any real competition ("Persepolis" aside). This year we have "Coraline," we have the Tim Burton produced "9," we have the latest from Hayao Miyazaki "Ponyo On A Cliff," we have Disney's return to traditional animation "The Princess and the Frog," etc, etc...let's just say that Pixar's "Up" has some serious competition this year. Which is a good thing. Far too long the animated feature race has been too predictable and boring. This year it looks like animation is going to come fully swinging as something to be taken seriously. And who knows: Maybe "Up" will even receive a Best Picture nomination.

Update 2-8-2009: Well the numbers are in, and "Coraline" opened at number 3 with about $16 million dollars in it's first weekend. It made more money then "The Pink Panther 2" (which many predicted to be the number 1 movie this week), and judging on good word-of-mouth this movie should do very well in the coming weeks.

Universal Says 'Bye-Bye' To Dreamworks

In a press announcement, Universal Spokeswoman Cindy Gardner has dropped the bomb that they are dropping the option to distribute Dreamworks films. To the press she had this to say:

"Universal Pictures has ended discussions with DreamWorks for a distribution agreement. Over the past several weeks, DreamWorks has demanded material changes to previously agreed-upon terms. It is clear that DreamWorks' needs and Universal's business interests are no longer in alignment. We wish them luck in their pursuit of funding and distribution of their future endeavors."

Unlike most divorce announcements which are PC and polite, this came off as hostile and bitter. Whatever happened behind closed doors must have gotten pretty ugly. Oh well, I think this is a perfect opportunity for Dreamworks to start distributing their own movies once again. With "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers 2" on the horizon Dreamworks should prosper very well in the coming year.

More 'Sex' Coming

According to Hollywood Insider a sequel to "Sex and the City: The Movie" is in development. Not only that, but there appears to be two sequels in production as they plan for this to be a trilogy. All I can say is that this, combined with the "Twilight" franchise, it's nice to see Hollywood finally start to seriously market films towards women. The article reads:

Get ready for more cosmos and screaming women! After months of idle talk, HBO has confirmed that a sequel to the Sex and the City movie is in the early stages of development — no surprise, considering the first spin-off from the series has earned $146 million since it debuted in theaters at the end of May. Michael Lombardo, president of HBO's programming group, told a group of reporters at the cable network's annual press tour in Los Angeles today, "We're really heartened by the fans' enthusiasm. Absolutely, there is a lot of energy behind doing another SATC movie." Lombardo wouldn't expound on his comments but a source confirmed that Warner Bros. has begun discussions on a sequel, adding that the studio is hoping to fast-track the project. However, no deal is in place and there is no script. In fact, the lead actresses involved are taking a cautious attitude towards another film, not wanting to rush a sequel and risk disappointing their loyal fans. Warner Bros. hasn't returned calls seeking comment.

What Are Some of Your Oscar Memories?

Narnia's 'Voyage' Will Continue

I have some great news for everyone who is a fan of "The Chronicles of Narnia" franchise that Disney suddenly (and unwisely) dumped last Christmas: 20th Century Fox has picked up "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and filming should start as early as this summer. Some details are still being worked out like budget and script details, but it looks like all the cast and the director are still on board for this. Here's the full article from Variety:

One month after Disney decided to pull the plug on co-financing the third movie in Walden Media's "Chronicles of Narnia" series, Walden has found a new partner in 20th Century Fox.

Fox, which was entitled to first crack at "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" after Disney dropped out because of the shared Fox Walden marketing and distribution label, has made a commitment to develop the project. The two sides are still working out budget and script issues, but the hope is to shoot the film at the end of summer for a holiday 2010 release through the Fox Walden label.

Fox 2000 will spearhead development and production matters from the Fox front. Topper Elizabeth Gabler had pursued the "Narnia" franchise but was beaten out by Walden. The Century City studio seems to be an ideal fit for the "Narnia" books given that it's been looking for a family-friendly, lit-based franchise for years -- Fox 2000's "Eragon" failed to catch on with audiences and died after one installment.

Fox and Walden will split production and P&A costs for "Dawn Treader," which is projected to go into production at a $140 million budget. That's considerably less than the $215 million or so spent on last year's "Prince Caspian," which was considered something of a box office disappointment as compared with the first "Narnia" pic, 2005's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" ($419 million vs. $745 million worldwide, respectively).

Still, "Caspian," which is considered the least commercially appealing of the seven C.S. Lewis "Narnia" novels, ranked No. 10 in global box office performance last year. "Dawn Treader" is considered to be a more family film-friendly book, and the goal is to get back to the magical aspects present in the first "Narnia" pic but mostly absent from "Prince Caspian."

Ultimately, Fox's commitment to the summer start date is contingent upon Walden's selection of a writer. Richard LaGravanese penned the most recent draft that both Walden and Fox were happy with, but there's a question about his availability because he has been adapting Sara Gruen's bestseller "Water for Elephants" for Fox 2000.

After budget and script concerns are settled, Fox and Walden are expected to greenlight the film. The intention is to move the production away from Mexico, where, ironically, it was going to be shot at the Fox-owned Baja facility called Rosarito used for "Titanic" and "Master and Commander." "Dawn Treader" will instead likely shoot in Australia because of concerns for the drug violence and kidnappings that are taking place near Baja.

Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley are reprising their roles as Caspian, Edmund and Lucy, respectively. New to the production is Will Poulter ("Son of Rambo"), who will portray Eustace Clarence Scrubb. Pic is being directed by Michael Apted, with Mark Johnson and Andrew Adamson producing.

A Note On Advertising

I'd like to take this moment to remind everyone that in these economic hard times many people find themselves out of work. Most of those people are looking towards building online stores and web blogs. The problem is that no matter the quality of these efforts it's hard to jump start projects like these. However KIZ Productions (that's my business) is fast becoming one of the biggest review and commentary presences on the web. Knowing that people are short for cash we've been offering affordable advertising rates on The Always Unpredictable Oscars, The Movie Wizard.com, and The Comic Book Guy.com (soon to be relaunched as simply The Comic Book Guy). Right now advertising through Project Wonderful on one of these sites is as little as $0.10 a day. A DAY!!! A weeks worth of advertising could cost you less then a buck and it would attract the attention of many regular readers of this site.

Right now several sites have already advertised with great results, so why not you too? Whether it be a business site, want ad, or even just a personal site, advertising on one of the above mentioned sites for the low cost is a great way to jump start your new business. Alright, I'm done. That's my business post for the month. Let's get back to talking about movies again.

Joined Flixster

I recently joined yet ANOTHER online social community of sorts, but this one I joined for good reasons: It's relevant to my online presence. The site is Flixster and I heard about it through Facebook. Basically it's a site where people can write movie reviews, take quizzes, match up personal movie taste, stuff like that. Well this made sense for a number of reasons, but what really tipped me over the edge were the widgets I could use to advertise my latest reviews. Many people may not realize it but I do write reviews. Some of them appeared on this blog, but once I reopened my website - The Movie Wizard.com - I found no reason to post them here. With the Flixster widget on the side I can now keep you guys up to date on the latest reviews I write. Granted, the reviews will just appear as a link, but that link will take you to the real review on my website. Pretty cool huh?

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump

When I first saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" on Christmas day I greatly enjoyed it, though I noted that there were several similarities to a previous Best Picture winner "Forrest Gump." I then found out the writer for Button was the writer for Gump and I just left it at that. Then I saw this video...

Funny - Funny Videos

...and I have to say that it's a pretty damning case if I ever I saw one. The producers better hope this video doesn't circulate around the internet too much; this is the sort of thing that could really cost you an Oscar.

Boyle Wins DGA

And the 'Slumdog' train continues full speed ahead with Danny Boyle winning the top prize at the Director's Guild America.