Oscar Night. Featuring Appearances By...

We already know that Anne Hathaway and James Franco are hosting and the only thing we have to say about that going forward is that Hathaway better sing again! From here and out we'll hear names of presenters. Most of them will be globally famous because that's how they do. So far we've got:

• Halle Berry
• Oprah Winfrey
• Jeff Bridges & Sandra Bullock -- last year's lead winners. We wonder if this means they'll return to the classic way of presenting acting statues, with Bullock handing out Actor and Bridges handing out Actress? Mars & Venus don'cha know.
• Marisa Tomei -yay!

I'll update this list as more presenters are announced.

You Were Saying...? (Extended Thoughts on Previous Topics)

I pray my occasional 'look at these comments!' posts don't come off as desperate. I'm just a very chatty person, what can I say? Since we are all becoming cyborgs, comments feel closer to conversation all the time. One day we will all forget how to speak. We will grow extra sets of fingers for more typing speed. Evolution will shrink our hands so that we can text with greater ease on our tiny devices.

First, I wanted to thank everyone who offered up music suggestions ♪ ♫  in the Grammy Awards post. I've already started investigating your recommendations since I usually have at least one "music of the year" or "music video of the year" posts in late December.  Keep 'em coming.

Last year about this time the public was going wild for The Blind Side and I included an "Overheard" conversation about it. Broooooke recently discovered the year old post and feels bad that Sandra got such flack for winning because the performance (if not the film) holds up. I would love to include more of those overheard posts but I'm telling you it is SO hard to eavesdrop in NYC. You're oft thwarted by noisy subway trains and traffic and whispering (damn you quite people in noisy cities!). Just last week two older men in suits right next to me on the subway were discussing the Oscar race. I was dying to eavesdrop but alas... major subway noise and then my stop.

A related note on Sandra B: Rebecca finds it odd that people lament the Academy's refusal to give older women the Oscar in the Annette Bening post but also bitch about Sandra's win. Sandra was 45 when she won. But more on this age & oscar topic this week ~ Article in Progress. 

Viggo & Fassy on the set of A Dangerous Method

Patrick F recently declared it a life goal to see all of Viggo Mortenson's movies. I was just thinking about Viggo yesterday and how long it took him to get really famous. It was a by-association thought. I was watching Fish Tank (so good, right?) and dreaming about seeing Viggo and Michael Fassbender as Freud & Jung in A Dangerous Method or The Talking Cure or whatever David Cronenberg is calling that psychiatric bio these days. They seem like such ideally paired co-stars to me.

Cal read the whole Undertow interview -- that's the Peruvian Oscar submission -- and loves that more Latin American movies are getting international attention "Before it was only Argentina and Brazil." Troia recently saw the movie, too, and thinks it one of the most moving of 2010. I bring this up now after the fact because I'm assuming we're going to hear about the foreign film finalists from AMPAS any day now. I love following the foreign film race but I'm not sure about this whittling down process where suddenly 50+ movies are evicted in the last month before the actual nominations. Imagine being on the campaign trail and then >boom< 'Sorry, you're out before nominations are even announced.' My current 9 predicted finalists are here but this category often holds surprises so no one knows anything.

That Helen Mirren "women in hollywood" speech sure has been making the web rounds (though there weren't many comments here on it.) Still, Manuel recalls the first time he saw the delightful Helen Mirren (Prime Suspects) and was hooked ever after. Mirren only gradually entered my consciousness. The first thing I remember seeing her in is White Nights (1985) where she met her future husband, the director Taylor Hackford. I was kind of in love with Mikhail Baryshnikov at the time (she played his wife) and I only remember two things about the movie today.

1. A shot of Misha stretching to warm up where he lays his head against his entirely vertical leg. As if this is something the human body is supposed to be able to do! 
2. This scene where Misha dances for her and she cries from the beauty of his movement. Or at least that's how I remembered the reason for her tears.

Why the Misha love? Blame childhood in the 1970s. It's probably impossible to imagine for anyone born in the 90s when the only people constantly discussed seem to be reality TV show stars but yes... a ballet dancer was once mega-famous to the point where teenager had posters of him on their walls. I wonder if Black Swan will inspire a mini-fad of renewed interest in ballet? If so that'll sure help Benjamin Millipied from Black Swan.

Odes to Emaciation: Christian Bale's Insane Actorly Commitment

I was just about to go into several interesting comments from the latest link roundup but I could do this all day and I have to move on. See.... in about 4 or 5 hours things start getting really crazy with the awards calendar... but maybe Sheila isn't the only one who is less than excited to see the madness begin. She writes

Ahh, these bullshit awards leave me cold. Why do people fawn over them so? Think of all the past great performances that were left out and you get the message. It's all about timing, timing, timing, especially now...

Timing is indeed the magic element. She's not far off with one key example: Christian Bale's "posterboy routine for committed actors" is finally catching up with him in terms of awards heat. 
Are you as chatty this morning? If not, have another cup o' joe.

FYC: Leonardo Island

One of the smartest FYC moves I've seen in terms of a screener making full use of its identity as an Oscar campaign is for Shutter Island. The disc didn't come with the typical eyebrow raising desperation of "please nominate us for every category that exists!", but narrowed its focus. The cover only suggests Picture, Director & Actor.

In fact, one might say that the packaging squints so hard to focus that it grows a the great crease of a worry line right before your eyes. All the better to remind you of its identical twin that Leonardo DiCaprio has grown between his eyes over the years. That worry line serves him so well in this anguished performance.

But, there's more. As you open it up -- remember this is a Shutter Island ad -- it becomes an orgy of Leos. Brilliant move, that. By charting his growth as an acclaimed child actor to massive adult star, all the way from that critically acclaimed leading debut This Boy's Life (1993) to 2010's Inception (sneakily swallowing up the vote splitting competition, in order to better serve Shutter Island) it basically uses the visual language of FYC: Career Tribute Nomination.

Given that Shutter Island came out very early in the year and that the Best Actor category still looks to be in flux, this could actually work. Unlikely sure but not out of the realm of possibility.

And hasn't 2010 actually been quite a year for him. Isn't he having a year comparable to Sandra Bullock's in 2009? The comparison doesn't spring up naturally, exactly. Leo's big year didn't feel like a breakthrough year since he had no career valley to bounce back from. Nor did he really have something to prove in terms of acting prowess. But consider the strange popularity correlations between Sandy's 2009 and Leo's 2010. For this exercize we have to forget all about All About Steve (2009)  but who would object to doing so?

1. Big Beloved Headliner Star
2. First movie of year  that's right in star's wheelhouse (romantic comedy The Proposal | Scorsese drama Shutter Island) opens and becomes big domestic hit in the 100+ range.
3. Riskier followup opens just five months later (Sandra's The Blind Side | Leo's Inception) and becomes a massive blockbuster in the $250+ range.

Isn't that... odd? Box office and timing between releases is pure coincidence you could say as devil's advocate. But how's this for an eery detail: If you compare Sandra's twin blockbuster 2009 grosses with Leo's 2010 double your difference of (domestic) bank is a miniscule $182,000. Isn't that crazy?

I'm not suggesting that Leo will suddenly become the golden boy who wins a surprise Oscar in February or that his marriage will fall apart in scandal directly afterwards (he's not even married!) so the comparison is strained. Furthermore, nobody expected Sandy to become an Oscar winner (until the happening was under way) and everyone has expected that about King Leo from day one. But beloved massive careers do have unifying elements no matter who the stars are; the industry and the public root for said star to succeed ...and to eventually win the most coveted movie prize of them all.

FWIW, Leo's best performances imho.

1. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
2. The Aviator (2004)
3. The Departed (2006)
4. This Boy's Life (1993) 
5. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
6. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
7. Shutter Island (2010)
8. Titanic (1997)
9. Revolutionary Road (2008)
10. (Everything else blends together qualitatively for me, as something like charismatic coasting at regular best and callow confidence at irregular worst. So I eagerly await a full top ten. He's only 36. Decades of movie triumphs presumably await.)
    *

Annette Bening, Queen of Santa Barbara

My loyal subjects,

Since I know each and every last one of you will want to stand and wave to our procession as we receive the "American Riviera Prize" for our invaluable contributions to the cinema, we wanted to give you ample warning. [We're told you don't have private jets (?) and will need to plan ahead?] The blessed event will happen on January 28th. It's a fitting prize since the American Riviera has long been known as the work and playground of Movie Royalty like ourselves.

Last year the Festival gave this honor to a woman who once worked for the mass transit system! Incredible but true: buses and trains. Now, I was both Queen of England and the American First Lady at the time, essentially ruling over the entire globe, but no matter; it's unkind to compare !

She makes us laugh, bless her!

The year before the delightful Ms. Bullock's win, the Santa Barbara Festival gave this prize to ... well, we'd rather not discuss that. It did not end well for that man at the final ball.

Signed,

Her Majesty Annette.

*

Streep Nom #15 & #16: Sister Aloysius Beauvier & Julia Child

In an off blog e-mail correspondence earlier this week, one of my fellow movie bloggers said to me "The best thing about this year's Best Actress race is that Streep isn't in it." That's funny. It's true that her ubiquity can be exhausting. It must especially feel like a relief for other Tinseltown goddesses in those rare years when she isn't in play. More room for them. But since Streep at 60, a web series we started over a year ago, needs to wrap up, let's discuss her final (to date) nominations.

"Streep @ 60" Previous Nominations Discussed
78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 90, 95, 98, 99, 02 and 06

In the past two years Streep put yet more distance between herself and her nearest competitors. Her two closest Oscar rivals, Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn, are long gone from planet earth. Streep's similarly aged / Oscar friendly peers (Lange, Close, Weaver, Sarandon, Spacek & Field) have faded from the movie spotlight, comparatively speaking, robbing them of Meryl's abundant Oscar-tallying opportunities.

We suspect Streep's "most nominated" record will stand forever unless, and it's a longshot, Kate Winslet's career (she's only 35) has similar curves, reinventions and renewals: When Streep was 35 (circa Falling in Love) she had collected 5 nominations and 2 wins; Winslet has collected 6 Oscar nominations and 1 win.

2008.

• Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married *Nathaniel's vote*
  
• Angelina Jolie, Changeling
• Melissa Leo, Frozen River *Nathaniel's second choice*
• Meryl Streep, Doubt
• Kate Winslet, The Reader
  

Other women for context
Probably Came Close: Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky) and Kristin Scott Thomas (I've Loved You So Long); Traction Trouble: Emma Thompson (Last Chance Harvey) and Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)... I suspect they just needed a break with the latter since they loved the film; Low Impact: Nicole Kidman (Australia -just discussed), Keira Knightley (The Duchess); Box Office Queens: Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!), Kristen Stewart (Twilight), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex & the City) and Reese Witherspoon (Four Christmases)

2009.

• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan, An Education *Nathaniel's second choice*
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *Nathaniel's vote*
  
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
  

Other women for context
Probably Came Close: Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria) and Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones); Traction Troubles: Abbie Cornish (Bright Star) and Tilda Swinton (Julia); Low Impact: Julia Roberts (Duplicity), Hilary Swank (Amelia); Box Office Queens: Sandra Bullock (The Proposal) and Meryl Streep (It's Complicated) a rare case of the main Oscar rivals also being big bank in separate films within the same year.

So...

IMPORTANT NOTE: These last two years of the Best Actress category have been very polarizing battles with the winners beloved & loathed in seemingly equal measure. Let's NOT discuss those divisive wins again but the fields in general. Stay Positive. It'll allow new discussions to unfold.

Answer me these questions, four

1. Which performance has grown on you?
2. Who do you think landed in the dread six-spot in both years?
3. Concerning the newbies (Mulligan, Sidibe, Hathaway, Leo, Bullock)... which do you think will return to the race and how soon/often? [Keep in mind that most don't. Approximately 67% of acting nominees are never recognized with a second nomination.]
   and...
4. Meryl Streep's Julia Child offers to cook you dinner. But only if you eat it at the table with Sister Aloysius icily judging you with every bite, chew and shallow. Do you accept the offer?
   

don't wanna link, don't wanna touch...

♪ ... just smoke one cigarette and hush
don't call my name, don't call my name, Roberto ♫

Stuff No One Told Me Love this. Disney and Porn = eternal human frustration.
MNPP Everything you ever need to know about life... you can learn from Psycho (1960)
Antagony & Ecstasy looks back at the evolution of Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy in a summer blockbuster history series
Cinematical Paul Rudd, soon to be the Idiot Brother, gets four fine funny actresses as co-stars

Emma Frost illustration by Adam Hughes

Movie|Line the angsty drama of 'how will Sandra bullock follow that Oscar?' Methinks her team is thinking too hard. Nobody wants her doing prestige pics.
Socialite's Life Matthew Morrison (Glee) recording a solo CD. I'd be thrilled to buy this (his voice is amazing -- check out the CD of Light in the Piazza for proof) but for the fact that he's gettin JustinTimberlakey with it. Yawn.
What's Good/ What Blows the dismaying punishment of Charlie Sheen.
Cinematical Michael Fassbender has his choice of two supervillain roles. Which will he go with? Either way he ends up opposite a fine actor (James McAvoy in X-Men: First Class or Jamie Bell in Spider-Man)
Empire speaking of X-Men... seems that Rosamund Pike may be up for the part of Emma Frost, the White Queen. Now that is a casting decision I can really get behind. Love both the actress and the character.
I Need My Fix True Blood season premiere brings the stars out. Is there a more attractive cast on television?
The Big Picture looks at the critic vs. audience divide on Splice.
Boing Boing more on recent silent film discoveries. I always get so excited to hear about found films
In Contention could "Shine" be an Original Song hopeful at the Oscars? I'm still struggling to understand what everyone else sees in that highly praised Waiting for Superman documentary (I didn't like it) but I agree that it's probably going to be up for the doc Oscar.

More on Lady Gaga's "Alejandro"
my piece yesterday in case you missed it
Low Resolution "Instantly Dated Thoughts"
The Critical Condition "Theft and/or Borrowing"
The Critical Condition ...and an interesting follow up piece about the cultural awakenings that happen in our youth.
Flavor Pill "Guide to Madonna References"
Rolling Stone director Steven Klein talks about the video, avoids the Madonna question.
popbytes (I do a brief weekly column here now). The video got me thinking about freaky movie nuns.
Guardian rounds up the groups claiming offense.
The Atlantic Katy Perry vs. Lady Gaga "The Battle of the Bras"

Links, Episode #3,002,038

/Film Jamie Bell may have just been cast as the new Spider-Man. Ah, I knew Marc Webb had good taste (with (500) Days of Summer as evidence)
Trespass Magazine Glenn interviews movie poster maestro Jeremy Saunders, who designed this year's fb gold medal winner for poster (Antichrist).
Little Gold Men Sandra Bullock sapphic smooches, part two.
The TV Addict Katharine Heigl's career killer Killers ?


Deviant Art a fan made poster for The Avengers. This movie will have to give blind men back their sight and maybe part oceans to live up to fanboy expectations.
Movie|Line Luke Evans is on "the Verge". He also wants to star in a film version of Miss Saigon so good on him.
Towleroad Apparently Elton John is going to perform at Rush Limbaugh's wedding. Money may be the reason but it's not like Elton needs any more of it. What a traitor. I've only ever bought two Elton John records in my lifetime but now I'm wishing I hadn't given him a lone dime.
OMG "Make Homosexuals Marry" Actors Justin Long & Mike White tie the knot excruciatingly tight in this campaign vid.
Newsweek on Italy Porn Movies like Eat Pray Love and I Am Love

And finally, I really must take a moment to thank all the cinephile angels involved in the Film Preservation Blogathon. Blogs can be a powerful force for good. The funds raised during that blog-a-thon are being used to restore two silent films. The first is a western named The Sergeant (1910) which is an incredible 100 years old.

...one of the earliest surviving narratives shot on location in Yosemite Valley. The one-reeler shows the magnificent terrain prior to the creation of the National Park Service, when U.S. Army cavalry troops kept order, and it is the military presence that provides the backdrop for the story.

The second is from 1912, another western called The Better Man. That blog-a-thon which was hosted by Marilyn Ferdinand and Self Styled Siren is still taking donations so maybe a third film can be saved! It's a worthy cause if you have the cash.

Hollywood's millionaires and its behemoth corporations could do a lot more to preserve old films -- imagine how many silents could be saved if like one single day's profits (or hell even one showing's) from any of those soulless blockbusters were so directed -- but at least we have devoted cinephiles and government funding helping to preserve cinematic history.

Linked & Looped

MovieFone Anne Thompson gives Sandra Bullock some career advice but...
Cinematical doesn't so for Uma Thurman. They just worry that it's headed south
Interview Susan Sarandon grills Carey Mulligan on stardom, Shia and...uh... street walking
I Need My Fix interesting plastic surgery quote from Demi Moore. That is if any plastic surgery quotes can ever be interesting. People torture actresses about this way too much
Cracked "How to Write a Nicholas Sparks Movie." teehee

CHUD 5 movie gimmicks for James Cameron to revive next
Movie|Line interviews The Doors keyboardist and the subject of Oliver Stone's film is raised. Good candid stuff
Everything I Know... reviews The Addams Family on Broadway. I'm so sad that I keep hearing such lackluster things. But this often happens with shows with built in audience. Somewhere deep down in the core of the creative team on shows such as these, whether they'd like to admit it or not, they must know that the quality isn't crucial to success

Finally, Old Hollywood has a choice quote from Tallulah Bankhead, the über quotable. Did any of you had a chance to see the Broadway play Looped? It closes this weekend sadly but I thought it was a good show. And it was definitely up my alley: Old Hollywood gossip, a crazed actress, a Tennessee Williams subplot, even an Oscar conversation. The play is about a looping session for an unintelligible line reading that Tallulah gave in her last film role in 1965's Die! Die! My Darling! You wouldn't think that'd be enough of a concept to sustain a full length Broadway show but the play manages to keep you involved. And I hope the Emmy-winning Valerie Harper (pictured left from the show) is rewarded with a Tony nomination this summer. The Tony voters aren't quite the freaks for mimicry that Oscar voters are but I'm rooting for her nonetheless.

Overheard: The Blind Side

I am terrible about eavesdropping when I hear a movie mentioned. Overheard in midtown Manhattan yesterday between two co-workers.

woman: Did you see The Blind Side? We rented it last night. Sandra Bullock was so good in it. Because of that accent.

Honestly, I had a lump in my throat from the beginning to the very end.

man: [earnestly] It really puts things into perspective.

Puts what into perspective!?! Jesus. That super rich people have easier lives than poor people?

I wouldn't hate that movie half as much if it would leave me alone but people are still talking about it. For this I suppose we must blame the Academy slightly and Jesse James most of all.
*

Day of Rest (With Sandra Bullock)

Shhhhhhhh Sandy needs a lot of sleep after what she's been through this past year.


...marrying Ryan Reynolds, making gargantuan piles of money, adopting giant black children, falling into mine shafts while stalking Bradley Cooper, winning Razzies, winning Oscars. Don't wake her until 2011.

We're also getting some shut eye. We'll be back tomorrow with more blog fodder and a brand new podcast. In the meantime enjoy your weekend and feel free to continue one of the many fun comment conversations that are going on below.

Oscar Night in Review: The Fashions (Pt 1)

I promise this is the last post on Oscar Night 2010. Oh wait. There's 3 more. DAMNIT! It'll never be over.

also: worst & weirdest moments | wonderful moments | complete Oscar '09/10 season

Before we get to the best & worst, I would like to give out a shout out to the blacktresses that were working the red carpet on Sunday. Hollywood is even harder on them their white counterparts (so few roles to go around). So unless they're nominated -- like the Precious girls -- they almost never get any media attention. So let's take a brief looksie. I've omitted Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique because you've already seen the "money shot" and Mo'Nique got plenty of air time (but yes, I loved the Hattie McDaniel tribute with the dress color and the gardenia. I wish more people would do themes.)

Stacey Dash wasn't really there. I stole this from one of the parallel Oscar parties (a little more on those in part two) because I dig the slightly freaky spiderweb vixen dress. Anika Noni Rose (who we're always pulling for) didn't get to sing at the Oscars (boo! producers) so I wanted to feature her. She seems to be doing an inverted take on Carey Mulligan's favored look (the black poofy dresses with color hewhaw appliques on the bodice). Jennifer Lewis, who was also in the voice cast of The Princess and the Frog almost made my worst dressed list. But then I decided I loved that she was dressed as a cartoon super-villain that she made up in her own head "Cruela de Frill". Finally we don't usually see this much of Paula Patton (Precious's "Blu Rain") but there's more of her to be see since she's very pregnant! That's the most orange I've seen since Valentino: The Last Emperor.

BEST DRESSED

From left to right: Kristen Stewart finally looked great. And like the Fug girls said, she didn't have to not look like herself to do it. You have to give credit when it's due, so I have to say that she pulled it off. (I'm more surprised than you are). Jennifer Lopez seemed to be wearing a bubble-wrap wedding gown but it's breathtaking (and we don't normally go as gaga for her style choices as the rest of the media does). I thought Sandra Bullock was wearing silver and then somebody said "did you like her gold dress" and then I had to look again and whatever -- silver/gold/champagne -- it's the color of win. Vera Farmiga is #1 for me because this my berry-colored gown isn't "safe" and it's just BIG and confidently weird and beautiful enough to be an absolute head turner rather head scratcher.

Meryl Streep looked classy and pristine in white but I'm shocked to hear that this is by Chris March (who was always doing very over the top looks on Project Runway). I imagine Molly Ringwald will make the worst-dressed lists (I'm so behind on my interweb readings) but I think it's just weird enough with the curlicue accessories and the bold color and assymetry to be a daring choice that still totally works for her. Elizabeth Banks is as dreamy as she is funny. Are you following her on twitter? Finally, you knew I had to have my goddess in here: Michelle Pfeiffer wore red which is and always has been her very best color. This dress is saved from being too plain (she does always play it elegant/safe, that one) by it's interesting pattern and textures.

WORST DRESSED

From left to right: Virginia Madsen is stupendously beautiful but always look dowdy on awards night. The cut of the waist on Kate's dress is not flattering. That's right, cover it up Winslet. My friend Joe says that Miley Cyrus's dress is "dragging her down from the boobs" haha. I think that's just her posture. But you probably shouldn't be walking red carpets if you can't yet stand up straight. Faith Hill depresses me sartorially speaking...and otherwise speaking. Zoe Saldana looked like she was having a ball so points for that. But this belongs on top of a float or as the trim of a float since it's that type of pinata-esque fabric at the bottom. Different dress up top. For some reason SJP's outfit makes me think she was doing homage to A Single Man's era. I value her status as a fashion icon but I think this might be the worst she's ever looked. (Maybe if her hair hadn't have been sticking out all over the place?) I don't know what kind of fabric Melanie Griffith is wearing but it reminds me of a chain link fence trapped in an oil slick or perhaps the treated hide of The Blob. Hate it. And, oh Charlize... bra stuffing turned inside out? Really?

What did these dresses do to your eyes? And would you rearrange the best and worsts? I know there were a ton more but I can't stare at dresses all day. I had to draw the line at twenty.

Oscar Night in Review: Most Wonderful Things

also: worst & weirdest moments | fashion review
all Oscar 2009/10 season posts here

Time to wrap up Oscar coverage! I may or may not do a short fashion bit and we may or may not do a podcast ... running on fumes! Thanks for your abundant engaged comments in the worst/weirdest rundown and acting posts. Comments are like premium fuel... especially when the meter is on empty. But never fear. More fun daily movie stuff coming up. Don't go away just because the Oscars are over, y'hear?

13 Best Things About the 09/10 Oscars

13 Stanley Tucci's Eye Rolling. He looked totally embarrassed by his clip from The Lovely Bones which made us love him even more.

12 Contemporary Costume Design Shout-Out. Sure, sure, the world's most brilliant costumer designer Sandy Powell (more on her in a future post) came off like a huge diva with her slow saunter up to the stage and her "I already have two of these" intro. But we heartily appreciate the impromptu contemporary costuming dedication. Even people who love costume design (including me) don't recognize it enough. If I were giving out a contemporary costume design nomination this year I think I would have gone with...

• Hope Hanafin for (500) Days of Summer
• Sonia Grande for Broken Embraces
• April Napier for Julia *winner*
  
• Marina Draghici for Precious
• Catherine Marie Thomas for Whip It

They all did fine or intriguing or smart and sometimes inspired work.

11 Steve Martin. In concept the duo of Alec & Steve was a great idea. In reality only Steve Martin had the sea legs for this sort of improvised live comedy. He's been at it since the 60s, you know. He can even do it with an arrow through his head. I'd be happy to see him back but I'm really rooting for a Hugh Jackman return next year. (Last year's show = so much better)

10 Pedro & Quentin. I understand why the Oscar producers are nervous to have behind-the-scenes talent present awards (for fear of losing only half-interested non-movie buff viewers) but in the case of directors who are celebrities themselves -- at least to the extent that directors can become famous on a visual level -- this was a very welcome presenting duo. It's nice to see a non-acting director besides Steven Spielberg on stage.

9 Color. The ladies of Hollywood (or at least their stylists) really turned up the rainbow and after years and years of oceans of black gowns, it was so welcome.

8 Precious Beats the Odds. Though my vote would've probably gone to In the Loop, I was very happy to see Precious (my silver medalist) win screenplay. But the reason I put this in my top 12 is that I absolutely love it when a worthy win happens after a terrible clip choice. I always feel those clip reels have hidden agendas since they so often give one film or performance a great clip and give a competing film or performance a lousy unrepresentative example. I'm still haunted by the clip they chose to represent Nicole Kidman way back in the Moulin Rouge! year (the year she should have won given the nominee pool). So I felt like Precious's win was accidental revenge on the clip reel. I mean... really... the fried chicken sequence? That's what you chose to represent that emotionally textured script?!?

7 The Set. Pretty, right? Though it did feel a little Avatar tributey with so much shimmery blue. Although for the life of me I didn't understand the lampshade business. What were those occasional lampshade backdrops about? Are there any interior designers out there who can 'splain that set psychology?

6 Michael Giacchino's Speech. He writes good music... and good speech, too. Telling anyone listening that pursuing your creative passions is not a waste of time was totally inspiring. Devoting hours, months and years of your life to a creative pursuit is difficult and nerve-wracking and not often supported in our Most Money Wins cultural value system. Creativity and respect for artistic pursuits should always be encouraged. Everyone would be happier. Well done, Giacchino.

5 Quality Wins Out. The Hurt Locker, the best of the nominees, was triumphant. Maybe six Oscars was a bit much. We tend to like it when the Academy spreads the golden wealth. But it's always a relief when good films win big. And speaking of good... so many of the winners were deserving this year... especially over in Acting. So even if the show was rough and unfocused, the wins were (mostly) quality. But back to The Sexy Locker for a minute. It keeps earning the nickname we gave it. We already knew that Bigelow was the hottest non-acting 58 year old out there. And we already knew that her cast was delicious and cuddly. Then we learned through awards season that at least one of the producers as well as the screenwriter Mark Boal (Bigelow's boyfriend, right? Is this public knowledge?) were also lookers. And now we find out in the acceptance speeches that the brilliant editing team (and new Oscar winners) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis are a married couple? So much, uh, affection everywhere in that movie's production history, right?

4 Tina Fey & Robert Downey Jr. The number of Hollywood jokes about writers being ugly social pariahs and actors being arrogant self-serving divas equal well unto infinity. But with the right delivery... just hilarious hilarious hilarious.

3 Firsts! Kathryn Bigelow becomes the first female director to win. They shoulda let Jane Campion burst that glass ceiling 17 years ago but yay for it finally happening. And when it's deserved, too (even better!). Though it was bad form to play "I am woman. hear me roar" as Bigelow exited the stage, particularly because she awesomely never played the vagina card in her entire campaign. Also kudos to Geoffrey Fletcher for becoming the first African American screenwriter to win. Firsts are so exciting.

2 Sandra Bullock's Speech. Though her Best Actress winning performance was, to me, the least among the nominees, it's not the first time the least has won this "most". See also: 2006, 2004, 1997, 1994, etcetera...) But there's just no faulting that gorgeous knockout speech. It began with humble but perceptive "I get it" comedy, swerved into heartfelt appreciation for her formidable competition (if it wasn't sincere, she's a better actress than we've ever given her credit for being), made time for personal but far from over-indulgent acknowledgements of her own loved ones and also honored the movie and role she was rewarded for. A+ on that speech, Sandy. What a gracious, smart, emotional finish to this super long awards season.

1...the best Best Actor / Best Actress Presentations in general. Last year when I first heard they were doing 5-wide presenter tributes to the acting nominees I thought it was insane. But it turned out to be a great show with that "twist" only adding to the who will speak to whom now, drama? This year, while the rest of the show crumbled around it, this 5-wide system got even better. I realize it takes up a lot of time, but damn it's good television. I couldn't have been happier during the Best Actor presentation, which began with a shocking reveal of two of my personal trinity, and kept getting more and more pleasurable. I never thought I'd live to see The Fabulous Baker Boys (one of my favorite films of all time, which lost every Oscar it was up for in 1989) celebrated at an Oscar event.


It was so surreal... like they had created the show just for me. Better still... as these intros progressed was the feeling that maybe millions of other people watching were having similar "this is for me!" personal experiences given the 20 movie stars and multiple movies getting face and anecdote time. There had to have been something for everyone there and it was complete heaven. My favorite bits...

1. Jeff Bridges tearing up watching Michelle Pfeiffer pay him tribute. They've been so supportive of each other over the years that it's a complete travesty and mystery to me that they never worked together again after Baker Boys.
   
2. Stanley Tucci's teasing Meryl Streep by sponsoring a drive to cap the number of acting nominations at 16 (Comedy revenge for Meryl Streep calling him "the dreadful Stanley Tucci" in her Golden Globes speech for Prada?)
3. Oprah Winfrey detailing the fairy tale journey of Gabby Sidibe and watching the young actress wipe away tears hearing her name next to Streeps
4. Vera Farmiga's weirdly cutesy flirtations "fantastically foxy Mr. Foxy Fox" and "he's just so dreeeeeeaaaamy" when addressing George Clooney
5. Colin Farrell giving us the mental image of he and Jeremy Renner spooning...

I have to stop now but I could keep going. You get the picture. Loved it. Maybe the Oscars were unusually rough this year, but why not focus on the positive as we wave this season goodbye?
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"You've Never Always Seen Oscar Like This"

Advertising can be so misleading. The tagline for the 82nd Academy Awards was, "You've never seen Oscar like this!" But from the gaudy opening song to the mix of new and old Hollywood presenters through time wasting dance numbers, scripted "banter," and clip montages, it was more like, "You've always seen Oscar like this!"

To be fair, there were some tweaks to ancient traditions. We don't normally get to see the Lead Actor and Actress nominees until late in the show, except in reaction shots, but the producers made a savvy decision to showcase the biggest stars instantly. Just as soon as the show had begun, all ten walked out to smile at the cameras in their gowns and tuxes; bubbly Precious star Gabby Sidibe stole that moment by adding diva posing to her close-up. The show also jettisoned the Original Songs performances, though in their place was a lengthy and frankly confusing interpretative dance number featuring the Original Score nominees. Why, pray tell, was Up accompanied by "the robot"—WALL-E was last year's Pixar movie—and what did the "pop-n-lock" say about The Hurt Locker???

Read the rest at TRIBECA FILM.

That's the last of my weekly Oscar columns for Tribeca Film (sniffle). The season is done. For the finale, I'm talking about the mixed messages Oscars always presents from Art vs. Commerce to Performance vs. Politics.

Also right here... Oscars in Review: worst & weirdest moments, most wonderful moments and all 09/10 awards season posts
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Gold Dust-Off

Adam of Club Silencio with a few after-Oscar thoughts...

• Mo'Nique rightfully wins Best Supporting Actress and preciously says, "First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics." Mo'Nique doesn't advertise, but she has been officially branded with Oprah's seal of approval, and prefers to be called "Tyler Perry's Mo'Nique."

• Each one of us is "a brain, an athlete, and a basket case. A princess and a criminal..." Someone help me decide which was which during that John Hughes tribute.

• The cast of Twilight: New Moon reminds us that the horror genre never gets any respect. Their presentation of said montage is horrifyingly valid proof of that. Included in the clip: Edward Scissorhands (because he resembles someone you'll get at Super Cuts?), Leprechaun (because he's taller than most actors), and The Texas Chainsaw Masscare: The Next Generation (because Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey still managed careers after such drivel, up to and including more drivel).

• Sandra Bullock's Best Actress win is unexpectedly and harmoniously balanced by her Razzie win for Worst Actress. Her grace and good humor certainly did soften the blow to our collective Blind Side.

• Sandy Powell wins Best Costume Design for The Young Victoria and wants you to know that you were wrong in even nominating her for dressing Monarchs. Contemporary fashion is where it's at, she says. And besides, she already has two Oscars. Poor, poor Sandy. After tonight she goes back to the dredges of period costuming, and wallowing in the inevitable winning of even more Academy Awards.

• Music by Prudence wins Best Documentary Short. Elinor Burkett reminds co-creator Roger Ross Williams that one only has a short time to get to the heart of a subject. Thus she proceeds to heartlessly cut him off and fill the entire time.

• Kathyrn Bigelow becomes the first female to win Best Director! We celebrate the win because it's deserving, it's a historical triumph, and there are so many cutaways to Jeremy Renner.

• Avatar loses Best Picture. I see you, James Cameron, returning to your studio to digitally create a cast of thousands to weep just for you.

And the Winner Is... Sandra Bullock (Confusing Actress Math)

Oscars in Review: worst & weirdest moments, most wonderful moments and all 09/10 awards season posts

I like Sandra Bullock. I feel like I have to start from there. Her Oscar win should have seemed inevitable to me from the first moment I heard about the movie. For, you see, I am almost never happy with the way this category pans out (as opposed to Supporting Actress wherein I apparently have more Oscar-friendly taste). Unlike the mega-millions of other people who like Ms Bullock, I didn't spend the season trying to justify nor am I OK with her being an Oscar winner. It's BEYOND weird to me that Kate Winslet, an Oscar level actress if ever there was one, had to endure such vitriol from fans and non-fans alike for winning an Oscar last year for one of her minor performances but Sandra can coast along to Oscar on little more than being "likeable" and elevating bad movies and people are happy for her! I don't get that math at all and I wish people would be more consistent about why they got angry about the Oscars. Not that it's easy to be angry about Sandra Bullock who is gracious and loveable. And gives good speech! More on that in another post.

And now for my split screen envelope opening emotional projection obsession!

"and the winner is... | ...Sandra | Bullock" (it sinks in)

Gabourey Sidibe and Carey Mulligan seem genuinely nervous before the name is read. I don't imagine either expected to win per se, but if it's your first time through it's probably easier to believe that anything is possible. Even if you don't want to believe it for fear of disappointment, Carey. Dame Helen Mirren (of the spider tattoo... thanks Michael Sheen) seems totally bored. I'm guessing she was thinking "Meryl or Sandra? Oh okay, Sandra" -- no emotional fuss whatsoever. Gabby appears to be waving to the camera in the last still but it's actually just a strange way of clapping parallel to your body rather than the normal perpendicular way. Meryl seems to be doing the turn your head to avoid the camera seeing your disappointment thing but in truth, Sandra is just across the aisle to that side of her and they've been uh, flirtatious, throughout awards season. She was just looking at her. Meryl is a good loser. The Best actually. She's perfected it over the past 28 years. She always seems utterly delighted to be there even when losing. She's so good at it you'd think she doesn't even care about winning. But that seismic blast of joy when she won the SAG for Doubt last year indicates otherwise. La Streep WANTS to win a third. And who could blame her after all she's done for the cinema?

So the Oscar Math goes like so when it comes to the Best Actress category:

Swank is > than Streep who is = to Bullock who is > than the following combined:
Pfeiffer, Close, Weaver, Turner, Moore, Allen, Deneuve and Linney.

Oscar Actress Math never computes.

But here are my favorite Best Actress Oscar winners from the Oscar decade just ended


I'm only half kidding. And I didn't even want Julia Roberts to win that year because I was rooting for Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (who would make my nominee list even if the Oscars were only once a decade). My point is this: I am almost never happy with how Best Actress turns out. Almost never ever. The last time I had the same #1 as Oscar? Thirteen years ago when Frances McDormand won for Fargo. Even when one of my all time favorite actors does win (like Nicole Kidman & Kate Winslet) they win for the wrong performance!

I was going to do the same thing i did for best actress that I did for supporting and list the top 5 but it was EXCRUCIATING to even narrow it down to 12. Horrible horrible... actual physical pain.

Nathaniel's Top Dozen Best Actress 2000-2009

• Björk, Dancer in the Dark (snubbed)
• Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream (nominated, lost)
• Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal (nominated, lost)
• Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher (snubbed)
• Nicole Kidman, Birth (snubbed)
• Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven (nominated, lost)
• Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake (nominated, lost)
• Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada (nominated, lost)
• Tilda Swinton, Julia (snubbed)
• Uma Thurman, Kill Bill (snubbed)
  
• Naomi Watts, Mulholland Dr (snubbed)
• Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine (nominated, lost)
  

I'm sure you noticed a pattern. Half were snubbed by the Academy altogether and none of the nominees won. In an entire decades worth of Oscar! Even my favorite of Oscar's winners (Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich) isn't in my top 12! I have no idea why Best Actress continues to be my favorite category. It will lead me to the madhouse.

Do you have any categories that you love in this masochistic way?
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Sandra The Good Sport

Sandra Bullock collected her Razzie in person in keeping with her sly self-deprecating charm on the Oscar campaign trail. That's good sportsmanship!



...and brilliant game-playing, too. Even if Sandra B does lose the Oscar tonight (nobody's ever picked up both the Razzie and the Oscar in the same year) she's got heaps and heaps of goodwill to coast on as she nears the quarter-century mark of a crazy successful career.

<-- Sandra with her Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous co-star Regina King at the NAACP awards last week.

She could probably even risk another Ernest Hemingway biopic or misbegotten sequel... or even an All About Steve level blunder or third Miss Congeniality toss-off. The "Get Out of Jail Free" card is hers.

Do you think she'll win tonight or are you feeling an upset? I know everyone seems to be on pins and needles about this category, despite the seemingly obvious (Sandra) conclusion.
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