La Academia.

Jose here.


- Cast and crew of Celda 211 -

If you think Oscar announcers make too many unnecessary remarks and mention damn useless trivia -the winner loved yellow minivans growing up- but still couldn't live without them, you would have fallen in love with the announcer for the Goya Awards.

The Spanish Academy presented its awards for the best of 2009 in a lavish, commercial free, ceremony last night where prison drama Celda 211 swept with eight Goyas including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actress followed closely by Alejandro Amenábar's Agora which won most of the techs.

But if you were judging from what the announcer had to say you wouldn't have had an inkling of what was going on as the winners took the stage.
Like a gossipy insider he told us everything that would've otherwise been delivered only through whispers.

When Raúl Arévalo won Best Supporting Actor for Gordos the shocked announcer made us aware of the fact that nobody thought he would win after which he proceeded to describe him as the Spanish Sean Penn for his looks and versatility.

Then when Pedro Almodóvar took the stage to present Best Picture (in one of the night's most surprising moments) the announcer didn't hesitate to point out how Pedro had been snubbing the Academy for years and this could mean he was trying to make peace with them.
Pedro did him justice and after receiving a standing ovation showed off his diva side by stating that Academy president Alex de la Iglesia had practically begged him to make an appearance by stating how he would attend the Oscars and neglected his own country.
He then stated how he would've liked to win Best Original screenplay (one of the awards Broken Embraces was up for) but had been told in advance he'd lose.
Gotta love his honesty...

But of course both the announcer and the camera crew had a ball with Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. The secretive couple made their first public appearance together after almost three years of beginning their relationship.
They walked the red carpet separately but sat next to each other in the front row (both of them were presenters and Javier got such loud applauding you would've thought he'd won something).
They conspicuously disappeared for long parts of the show, leaving empty seats between Jordi Mollá and Lola Dueñas (who won best actress for Yo También) and I'm sure if the announcer had known what they were doing he wouldn't have hesitated to let us know.

Anyone else spent their Valentine's Day with Spanish cinema? If so, what did you think of the winners and the ceremony? Happy to see Pedro in good favor with his national academy? Are you expecting Pe to bring Javier to the Oscars?

Some People You Might Know (And Some You Might Not) Are Receiving Awards!

Glenn here from Stale Popcorn here. Nathaniel is still sick (I know what he's got, I had it a couple of months back and it lasted weeks!) and when the going gets sick the sick get to bed. Or something. Let's move on.

I like to consider myself a fairly good follower of awards season, but there are organisations that I admit I have to plead ignorance over. The Gotham Independent Film Awards is one such example. I don't think, in the eight years (or so) that I've been following the Oscars, that I have ever actually figured out who these people are. And yet year after year they seem to throw up such a wonderful, varied and oft left-of-centre list of nominees for their annual awards. Misunderstood or just-not-loved-enough titles like Margot at the Wedding, Marie Antoinette, Frozen River, Me & You & Everyone We Know and others have had the Gotham's spotlight shined on them, so I'm all for them in this world where every organisation is seemingly in sync with every other one.

This year they have tipped their hat to several major players in the 2009/10 Oscar game with career tributes. The biggies - the ones that the more casual film observer will care about - are director Kathryn Bigelow and actors Stanley Tucci and Natalie Portman. While it may seem strange for someone as young as Portman to be receiving anything resembling a "career achievement" tribute, a quick scan of her filmography shows a nicely eclectic roster and one that puts many actresses of her generation to shame.


"What? ME?! Yeah, I'm down with that!"
While it has yet to be seen whether her performance in Jim Sheridan's Brothers will find itself of Oscar's radar, there's no doubt that Bigelow and Tucci will be putting on their finest threads more than a few times in the coming months. Bigelow, riding high on the success (critically, if not at the box office) of The Hurt Locker, is prime for the career achievement spin. Her resume may not be as long and strewn with award winners as some others, but it's very impressive. Say what you will, but movies like Near Dark, Strange Days, Point Break and Wild Palms are all fantastic pieces of work.


"Yeah, I'm amazing. You know it."
Tucci will surely pique the interest of Oscar voters with his turns in Julie & Julia as well as Pete Jackson's upcoming piece of awards bait, The Lovely Bones. I thought he should've been nominated for The Devil Wears Prada, but I think that's just me. Is anybody else disappointed that his directorial career never really went anywhere after the fantastic Big Night? I'm surely not alone on that thought.


"Finally, Meryl Streep hasn't upstaged me!"
Two other names on the press release from the Independent Film Project are Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. You probably don't know their names (I sure didn't!) but consider this incredible list of films that they have produced or executive produced as the co-chairmen of Working Title Films: Atonement, Bridget Jones' Diary, Dead Man Walking, Elizabeth, Fargo, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gettin' Square, Pride & Prejudice, Shaun of the Dead, Tales of the City (TV), thirteen and United 93. Plus they also have the big Coen Bros' contender this year in A Serious Man, and that's just scratching the surface.

And, hello! Drop Dead Fred! How could anybody forget that work of art?


Congratulations to all involved. It won't be the last time you hear from them though, that's for sure!

Tony Award Nominations (For Movie Fans)

The TONY Award Nominations for Broadway were announced today. Here's a look at the more celluloid friendly entries...

Plays & Revivals
As you may or may not have heard, the classically cruel French aristocracy play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (familiar to moviegoers from the Oscar nominated classic Dangerous Liaisons) is back on Broadway. It received a nomination for Best Revival (the other nominees are Boeing-Boeing, The Homecoming, and Macbeth with Patrick Stewart who, clearly, was also nominated).

But, quelle dommage!, The Lovely Laura Linney was passed over for Best Actress in a Play. She plays the Merquise de Merteuil. We rarely get to see Linney with claws out but it's usually a treat --she's awesome in a malevolent supporting role in The House of Mirth (2000). But apparently the TONY voters didn't think so. The only acting nominee is Ben Daniels (as Valmont) which makes these TONY nods the flipside of the Oscar nods back in 1988 when Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close where honored but their Valmont (John Malkovich) was snubbed.

When it comes to the Original Plays, the winner is already locked up. It will be impossible to beat the sensation that is August: Osage County. It's a dysfunctional family drama from the writer of Bug (I've raved about Tracy Letts work before) that people can't get enough of. Remember how enthused Famke Janssen was about it in her recent interview with The Film Experience? That reaction is common here in NYC. The hot play received seven Tony nominations in total including three for its actresses. When the movie version happens (you know it will) expect an all out war amongst Hollywood A-listers for the roles.

I should also note that Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, a play about an employment agency in the 90s, which stars wonderful actresses like Elizabeth Marvel, Mary Beth Hurt, Martha Plimpton and Marisa Tomei (who talked about this role on the TFE podcast) didn't do so well. Only Plimpton was nominated. Here's a little opening night video from Broadway.com

Musicals & Revivals
Broadway's "Best Musical" category continues to become "Best Original Musical Adapted From a Movie" as the transferring continues en masse. This year, two of them were lucky enough to get nominated: Cry Baby (adapted from John Waters' 1990 film which starred Johnny Depp) and the über gay and brilliantly campy Xanadu (adapted from the infamous Olivia Newton John 1980 rollerskating movie musical which I love to the ends of earth, through brick walls and on to neon'ed Mt Olympus). Neither is the frontrunner. That'd be In the Heights which leads all nominated entries with an incredible 13 honors.

Two blockbusters movie transfers got the stink eye from voters. Mel Brooks' adaptation of his own 1974 Young Frankenstein, which has been plagued by 'it's not all that' reviews and bad press resulting from Brook's greed (ridiculous ticket prices and everyone knows that greed from all sides is destroying Broadway), received only three nominations including one for featured actress Andrea Martin (Mel Brooks deemed Cloris Leachman's too old to reprise her "Frau Blücher" role which also contributed to the bad press). Disney's movie-to-stage transfer The Little Mermaid, which was filleted by most critics was an even bigger bomb with voters, receiving only two nominations (Score and Lighting). On the bright side: that's still one more nomination than their last cartoon to live-theater disaster, Tarzan (see previous posts).

In other movie-familiarized stage musical news, the 7,426th revival of Gypsy (this one stars Patti Lupone) won 7 nominations and will be singing out Louise for the main trophy... but chances are South Pacific will carry the night with its big haul of 11 nominations. Stephen Sondheim's brilliant (well... 2/3rds of it) Sunday in the Park with George, which has never been made into a movie and shouldn't be, could be a dark horse.

ONJ ~ unofficial mascot of the 2008 TONYs

In more horrific news the 1,002nd revival of Grease --yeah, the one that had its own idiotic reality show to pollute your airwaves --was also nominated in the revival category.I hate stage versions of Grease but I love this Olivia Newton-John theme that the TONYs have going on. She better be invited to host or present or something. So, let's go back to Xanadu to wrap up.

TFE favorite's theatrical hunk Cheyenne Jackson was passed over for lead actor which was no great surprise. He's game for those short shorts and his voice is super (as always) but "Sonny" has never been much of a role. Kerry Butler (pictured right), previously TONY snubbed for funny work as Penny Pinkleton in Hairspray a few years back, was justly honored though with a Best Actress nod for her gut-busting Aussie accent and Olivia Newton John send-up.

I smiled and laughed so much watching Xanadu on Broadway (seriously) that I can't recommend it highly enough. It's deeply deeply silly. If you love silly, go immediately. If you don't, avoid at all costs.

The TONY Awards will air on CBS on Sunday, June 15th.

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Back to the main blog if you're done with the stage: the movies await. Or dance on over to further reading if you're a Broadway nut: ModFab gets into the nitty gritty of the snubs and surprises * TONY's official site for the complete nomination list *
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Indie Spirits ~ Live Blogging

Live Blogging the Indie Spirits? I didn't even watch last year. But maybe I'm trying to warm up for tomorrow nights big event. Yes, that's my excuse for this foolishness. Apparently IFC is advertising their red carpet like so (Brangelina, pictured right) but do people really wear tuxes to the Indie Spirits? Not as I can recall. False advertising!

4:48 Ooh Anne Thompson is onscreen. She's sweet. She's talking about the jury and that their selections are more mainstream this year. The jury selection is one of the more interesting things about the Indie Spirit Awards but it actually makes it hard to get into from year to year, because there is no through line at all. It's impossible to predict and often reads as nonsensical from category to category. Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Savages but not Linney? Matt Singer is the host of this nomination special and he just said the craziest thing 'Philip Seymour Hoffman's roles in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and The Savages are very similar'

That's so true. I've always found that holding up my parents jewelry store while embezzling from my employer brings up the exact same issues of character as writing essays on Brecht and putting my father in a nursing home.

er... Matt? Earth to Matt.

4:53 They're "live! uncut! right now!" only it hasn't started yet. It's still commercials.

4:58 I've been blocking out the fact that Rainn Wilson (Juno) is hosting this show, homeskillet. Else I would never have agreed to live blog it.

5:04 Patty Clarkson (they just showed her) is so pretty. I'm ignoring Rainn so let's just focus on the camera cutaways. Steve Buscemi. Mike White. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Rainn makes a joke that he's the prettiest. Actually Hoffman is. He actually looks pretty good tonight. Cate Blanchett. Sienna Miller. Bruce Greenwood. Ed Begley Jr. Parker Posey [I'm still focusing on the cutaway reaction shots] Let me guest... this Juno table is going to get a lot of shout-outs. I'm not even going to mention how tacky it is to have a host that's in the movie that will win everything. Or how tacky his performance is in the same movie. No matter how many awards Juno wins, that convenience store mess is one fumbled opening that can't be undid.

5:12 Felicity Huffman is bad at reading from a teleprompter. Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk to Me, I always pretend I'm watching him in Serenity whenever I see him), Marcus Carl Franklin (I'm Not There), Kene Holliday (The Great World of Sound), Irrfan Kahn (The Namesake... he's such a good actor) and Steve Zahn (Rescue Dawn... he looks so cute in his tan blazer). Chiwetel Ejiofor wins. Kasi Lemmon accepts since Chiwi is in London playing Othello.

Eliza Dushku and Parker Posey. Two (indie) girls I love

5:17 Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova singing "When Your Minds Made Up" from Once. I love them very much and the movie but this sounds a little rough. Off key and forced. I'm going to blame it on the acoustics in the room since I will be sad if their performance at the Oscars isn't a lot better tomorrow.

5:20 Kerry Washington is dreamy. Now... what the hell is wrong with Oscar that she isn't presenting there? Seriously, Patrick Dempsey??? Why. It angers me. Kerry Washington! Now, that's somebody AMPAS should get familiar with. Diablo Cody wins screenplay for Juno and Jason Bateman presents it. TACKY! It's like when The Producers won all the TONY Awards with Nathan Lane hosting. Why do awards shows do these things. It just screams complete and utter tastelessness.

5:23 Maria Bello is presenting something. Best First Film I think. I am distracted because I don't want her to keep playing second fiddle to horses, country singers and Alison f'ing Lohman --all of whom she is infinitely superior to. She needs another A History of Violence. Pronto. Is that the Mad Men star presenting with her? I must watch that show. The guy from The Lookout wins (Scott Frank).

5:32 They just cut from Matt Dillon to Don Cheadle. No joke. What is this 2005? I don't need that reminder when I'm watching awards shows. No I do not.

5:34 Supporting Female. Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There), Anna Kendrick (Rocket Science), Tamara Podesnski (name of movie?), Marisa Tomei (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead --yay!), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Margot at the Wedding) they describe her as a "free spirited sister"... huh? Did Matt Singer write this? (Hee. sorry Matt, I couldn't help it). Pauline is not a free spirit. That girl is all locked up in her depression and her sister is one mean warden, that's for damn sure. Cate wins for I'm Not There. Of course. She is very pregnant ---ooh, awesome shoutout to "Todd Haynes's body of work" Hear, hear.

The "F***" count is now at 5. "S***" has only been uttered once. There's no bleeping on this show. Naughty IFC.

5:41 The spoof songs. This one from Diving Bell and Butterfly was actually funny.

5:44 Rainn is doing "spoof" auditions for all the best features. This time it's I'm Not There. Todd Haynes is hot --I'm just sayin' cuz nobody ever says. Rainn keeps calling him "Ted". Hee

5:50 Meg Ryan looks like herself again! This is the second star they've brought out saying "From The Women" -against my better judgment I'm excited for the remake. She and Tom Wilkinson are presenting the John Cassavettes Award which is for the true independent / shoestring budget movies. August Evening wins. Other than this award and a couple of others the whole concept of the Indie Spirits is kinda pointless since you can bet if a big hit or Oscar nominee is nominated, that's the person who wins. Not exactly hard core independence you know?

5:52 Cate Blanchett is so cute pregnant. She no longer looks emaciated. She introduces herself as Marcus Carl Franklin to introduce I'm Not There clip. Hee. Steve Zahn is singing "Like a Rolling Stone" as a spoof for the movie. "to speak in a monotone. like a dylan clone"

5:56 MAGGIE CHEUNG --GODDESS ALERT !!! Foreign Film goes to Once. Maggie seems happy about that. They made Once (one of the year's best) for $100,000. Wow, crazy that it's a gazillion times better than movies that are made for $100 million. But now John Carney needs to shut up. He's giving the complete history of the packaging and making or and distribution. Glen Hansard shuts him up. Thanks Glen!

6:00 I did NOT need to see Rainn Wilson's ass. I really did not. Cut to: Brad Pitt, who looks like he's 30 again. Delicious. Botox is a magical magical thing. It should be free or at least government subsidized.

6: 07 Best Actor. I want Tony Leung Chiu Wai to win for Lust, Caution but of course he won't. The delicate fabric of the universe would tear if something that wonderful happened. Philip Seymour Hoffman wins. Nice speech -- he called Laura Linney "sublime." And how.

6:12 Alison Janney's dress is fresh and kicky and exactly right for this event, casual but still glam. I'm sure it's not easy to dress for any of these events. Anyway, it looks better moving than in this photo here to your right. She's presenting with John Waters who often hosts this very show. This is the part of the show where they give out grants to filmmakers.

6:25 Is this over yet? Raiiin Wilson is not funny.

6:26 The Artist Formerly Known As Keri Russell would like everyone to know that she will lose however many lbs Angelina Jolie and Cate Blanchett gain while pregnant. She feels it's the least she could do for Hollywood's beauty standards. Tamara Jenkins won screenplay for The Savages.

6:32 You know how some people read romance novels that are all sort of the same and even if they're smart people they keep reading them... even though it maybe doesn't challenge them, this habit. That's me with fantasy novels. Only the books are much better (I would guess) and the sameness is only in the archetypes and general conceits... though the details are much different from author to author. I just finished reading Transformation by Carol Berg and I found it to be quite a page turner. Really enjoyed it. I was excited to discover that there are sequels (I don't know why I feigned shock. Every fantasy book every written is part something of something --they're more franchise focused than Hollywood even.) Part of me is embarassed about this habit of mine but part of me is like 'sorry, that's just what I like.' If you're wondering what this has to do with the Film Independent Spirit Awards, than congratulations: you've actually read this post. But it doesn't. Have anything to do. I'm just bored of watching is all.

6:45 Crazy Love won Best Documentary and Janusz Kaminski (who used to be Mr. Holly Hunter) just won cinematography. And now Patty Clarkson is onscreen with Dennis Quaid (both from the great Far From Heaven) for a brief shout out to Heath Ledger and presenting the Robert Altman Award to I'm Not There. Casting director Laurie Rosenthal is accepting. She's happy that casting directors are finally being acknowledged. And hey, Laura, so am I. And more on Heath Ledger. I am a little embarrassed to say that I didn't know about his directorial efforts at all. Now I'm sad again.

6:53 Javier Bardem just agreed to f*** Rainnn Wilson. Javier is a good sport. Best Director nominees Todd Haynes (I'm Not There), Tamara Jenkins (Savages), Jason Reitman (Juno), Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and Butterfy) Gus Van Sant (Paranoid Park). Julian Schnabel wins. He is not wearing pajamas. He invited Jason Reitman to share the stage with him. Strange. Even Schnabel likes Juno? This speech is odd. It has so many half sentences and changes of subject... Where is Juliette Welfling when we need her? Edit him! "I want to thank Javier Bardem for being Javier Bardem"

6:58 Best Actress: Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart), Sienna Miller (Interview), Ellen Page (Juno), Parker Posey (Broken English) and Tang Wei (Lust Caution). And the Spirit Award goes to Ellen Page. I know a lot of people say that Ellen Page is playing herself in Juno but I think that's a too-easy dismissal. Nice humble acceptance speech there and no Juno tics. So there.

7:05 Dustin Hoffman:

I did fuck Javier Bardem and Philip Seymour Hoffman is the product of our union.
...I hope you understand I mean that metaphorically.

Dustin Hoffman you crazy crazy two time Oscar winner. He's here to present Best Picture The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I'm Not There, Juno, A Mighty Heart, Paranoid Park. Gee, I wonder... which movie will win. Juno (duh... it's the Oscar nominee). Love Fest. I'm out.

7:10 I did not turn off the television in time and they showed us Philip Seymour Hoffman's ass as well as he spanked and wrestled with Raain Wilson as credits rolled. I did not make any of this up.*
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BAFTA "Live" Blogging

Once again, "live" blogging because it sounds better than "tape delay blogging". REFRESH your screen throughout the night for more.Yes, I already know who won Best Actress. Shut Up! Why must everyone spread spoilers around the net?

Instant gratification takes too long
-Meryl Streep as Suzanne Vale in Postcards From the Edge

I'm convinced that if someone leaked the Oscar winners the day in advance everyone would spread the good and bad news instantly. No one would care about suspense. It's like how the movie trailers give us all the surprises. Nobody likes surprises, except me. I like to open my presents on Christmas morning. Sue me. So this tape-delay blogging is dedicated to all people who hate spoilers. xoxo. You're my people.

7:52 PM The Boyfriend is watching the Grammys. I have no idea why. His type of music (Björk, Vampire Weekend, The Cure) isn't really Grammyish. Grammy is Beyonce hit the floor wit it. He won't mind when I change the channel.

8:00 PM James McAvoy didn't shave. Keep him away from Johnny Depp.

8:03 PM They are Sparta. Wait. Where is Stephen Fry? Isn't he always the host? I can't understand a word the host is saying (there's some strange echo on BBC America). Keira Knightley is in a very good mood. And it almost sounds like they've added a laugh track to the event, given how appreciative this audience is of every inaudible punchline.

8:11 PM I gues I really need to see this This is England movie. I was happy just watching Paddy Considine (great actor) get happy about the win. I don't even know if he's in it.

8:16 PM Commercials should be outlawed during awards shows.

8:18 Eva Green is pretty. Live blogging leads to astounding revelations like that. You would have never known otherwise. You know who else is pretty? Sam Riley (to your right) who just lost this award. He was so good in Control. Shia Labeouf wins the Rising Star awards. I was sad for Tang Wei who has been robbed -- grand larceny -- all season long. Ah well, ten years from now people will still talk about that performance with Awe, Respect

8:24 I always forget that Thandie Newton is British. The Lives of Others wins Best Foreign Language Film.

8:35 Adapted Screenplay goes to The Diving Bell and Butterfly. Harwood thanks Janusz Kaminski for his cinematography. Remember when Kaminski was married to Holly Hunter? Good times.

8:39 There are more commercials than actual program. It's like watching Saturday Night Live. Which I haven't done in many years (largely because of that program/sponsor ratio problem)

8:49 Marion Cotillard was brought out to present Best Supporting Actor which went to Javier Bardem picking up his 100th (or so) of the season. She is wearing a silver version of the gold thing Nicole Kidman wore in Golden Compass only with a shimmering cape over it. It rather reminds me of the WWF costumes that they were designing on Project Runway last week. The nearly losing outfit by Sweet P. There's no reveal if the cape is open. Duh!

I love the way Marion pronounced "pivotal" when she was talking about their roles (pi-voh-tl) --accents are so cute! Javier Bardem has done a really terrific job all season of varying his speeches within the same basic emotional range. He always very genuinely acknowledges his competitors and stays humble about it. How you look that way and stay humble I shall never know. Europeans are so pretty.

8:56 Somebody just won something for Control but I didn't understand what it was for. Samantha Morton is clapping. I am always surprised at how young she really is (30) since she is not a fashion plate and has never presented herself in a "Hollywood" way. Definitely an actress rather than a celebrity. And what an actress! Seriously: I know some of you haven't seen Morvern Callar and you really must (FB nominee, 2002)

9:04 Saoirse's intro on the Atonement clip is hilarious... "She sees them in the library. She sees them doing things she's never seen done before."
______________________________________That's one way to put it.

9:10 The visual effects goes to The Golden Compass. And a whole parade of bad tuxes crosses the stage.


9:26 SORRY. I got swept away into Dior couture with the pale and hypnotic Tilda Swinton. Big Red. I heart her. She won Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton. That's been the most volatile category all season. Her acceptance speech was choice as well, funny heartfelt and the right amount of appreciation and is this for real? awards show kookiness. Plus her date was wearing nail polish. Love. I wish I had transcribed her speech since we won't see an Oscar repeat. It's Ryan vs. Dee vs. Blanchett I think for the Oscar.

9:30 The Coens won Best Director for No Country For Old Men. The clip they showed (the hotel room face/off) is the only scene that's shared --and just barely at that --between any of the leads... in this case Josh Brolin & Javier Bardem. Good choice. So tense. I felt like grabbing the armrest and a handful of popcorn when I'm actually at my computer and blogging with the lights on. For a moment there I was back in the theater.

9:32 Screenplay...

9:35 Nodded off there. So many nominees. Three minutes of nominees. So Juno fever has also hit England, huh? Juno wins Best Original Screenplay.

9:44 Somebody got a tribute award. Somebody who worked on Harry Potter movies. And somebody who loves horses on stage...I mean really loves them... gave him the prize. I don't really get the appeal of Mr. Radcliffe. I'll just say it.

9:50 They're talking about No Country For Old Men. The amount of time they spend discussing the Best Picture nominees reminds me of that one (and one only) AFI ceremony when they had nominees and they did little tiny documentaries on each. It really felt like it was about filmmaking. Though that said, I'm a little bored. Probably because BBC America does the tape delay and therefore nobody cares tonight since they already know who wins. This is probably why none of the usual commenting chaos is going on. Where is everyone? Now is not the time to desert the Film Experience! Not when the Film Experience needs you to make it through this long long season. Not when the Film Experience needs you to help him through the annual process of watching his favorites lose.

9:54 Very nice acceptance speech from a clearly moved Marion Cotillard who just* won Best Actress for La Vie En Rose. *"just" being many many hours ago. Ah, the magic of "live" television. Congratulations Marion. She looks a little like Emily Blunt here, doesn't she?

While they were showing the clips and Cate was hollering away in Elizabeth 2: Full Throttle all I could think was: This is EXACTLY like that clip of Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War. I think they even swing their arms the same way. I guess that's why I don't like either performance. Showboating = stinky. To me. The only shouty performance I love this year is Daniel Day-Lewis's because there is a reason "I've abandoned my child" goes to a fever pitch. A good strong valid reason. I can't figure out why Hoffman is always at fever pitch. Tone it down buddy.

10:05 Daniel Day-Lewis's acceptance speech is great. Best Actor for DDL in There Will Be Blood. He always seems so genuine.

From the mine shaft to the bowling alley this came from and belongs to Paul Thomas Anderson

Lovely, right?

10:10 FASHIONS. I totally forgot.

I'm more intrigued by the hair since it's hard to see the fashions unless they're presenters. Samantha Morton's hair line (pictured, left) is so far up there you'd think she just finished filming the Elizabeth movie. But her boyfriend (?) is also working the straight up look. Only his is more Lindsay Buckingham circa 1988. Boy is that hair flying up to heaven.

(I've added a bit about Marion's cape above when she announces supporting actor)

Otherwise best dressed might be Emily Blunt. She had a nice assymetrical shimmery blue number that's probably the evening's best so far. But as she stood there presenting I kept thinking: are these Norma Shearer's cross eyes I see before me? I love the Blunt but I'd never noticed that before. peeperssoclosetogether

10:11 You know how we're always hearing "so and so is Big in Japan"? And it's always like, "really?" And Jeff Goldblum is now onstage presenting Best Picture and the camera has been showing him as often as Keira Knightley. Is he unusually Big in England and I just don't know it. Atonement wins Best Picture. Joe Wright accepting to your left. I always forget who his girlfriend is and I had left myself to believe it was Romola Garai but it's the other three syllable "Ro". Rosamund somebody, Keira's other film sister in the other Joe Wright movie (Pride & Prejudice)

10:18 Anthony Hopkins is getting some tribute action now. But I'm still thinking about Atonement's win.

I've always loved James McAvoy but Atonement made me love Keira Knightley and her super-speed clipped 30s cadences so much more than I ever had before. I almost want to pin her up against the books myself. Provided she wears the green dress. Otherwise, no deal. But yes... I'm excited for the next few years of Robbie & Cecilia ...albeit in separate movies.

10:29 It's starting all over again. What is this, SAG on TBS?

Good night!
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Screen Linkers Guild

<--- Julie Christie is a goddess
Lazy Eye Theater knows it, too
Defamer points to a hilarous longing glance within the A list acting ranks at the SAG awards
Scanners loves the truth in Javier Bardem's acceptance speech. So do I
Just Jared Dennis Quaid joining the cast of the GI Joe Movie
Queerty Cristal Gina Gershon talkin' bout her new CD
Fabulon "amen" -this blog always makes me giggle
Buzz Sugar all the Best Pic nominees for $30 bucks. You know, this would be a really really awesome thing to liveblog but... I fear one would be stoned to death if people had to listen to laptop keyboard clacking away for 12 hours straight in the theater

Empire Julianne, no! Back away from the mainstream genre movies. No Moore
StinkyLulu begins his reviews of each 2007 Supporting Actress Nominee. First up: Saoirse "bad seed" Ronan
popwatch Crash will be a TV series -- I guess it kinda belonged there all along
Hollywood Elsewhere this is a week old but what's Jeffrey Wells' deal with Amy Adams exactly?
popbytes joins the chorus of bloggers declaring Angelina Jolie totally pregnant. Speaking of which...

I'm including this last photo from SAG simply because I love it. Brangelina: Even unstoppably gorgeous from behind.

Late Night SAG

So, I went to a Broadway show (Sunday in the Park with George) tonight instead of seeing SAG live --I haven't been feeling awards season this year what with all the strike business. So I'm still watching it now on rerun when I should be sleeping. My only takeaways so far: Ruby Dee's insane Carol Channingesque glasses, a reminder that I really need to watch Mad Men, another fix of my Krak addiction (Jane Krakowski: "I'm Johnny Depp and I'm an actor"), Mickey Rooney annoyingly making a presenting job into a self-tribute (Dude! It was Charles Durning's night, not yours), Cate Blanchett losing her fashion sense for once, Viggo Mortensen's maroon vest, why is the camera not showing Michelle Pfeiffer (I know she's there! Oh wait, there she is. mmmm), Tilda's cute embarrassment watching her own Michael Clayton clip.

the winners
Ensemble No Country For Old Men
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis -There Will Be Blood
Actress Julie Christie -Away From Her
Supporting Actor Javier Bardem -No Country For Old Men
Supporting Actress Ruby Dee American Gangster (and I really wish I'd printed up predictions because I decided a few days ago that she was going to win the Oscar this year, too)

The César / Oscar Crossovers

The Académie des César (aka the French version of our Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences -affectionality known as AMPAS i.e. the Oscars) announced their nominations yesterday for 2007 films. And the winner is... (likely to be) La Vie En Rose which led all the films with a rather impressive 11 nominations. That's more than any of the American pictures got in their parallel "best of year" race. Other Oscar nominees in the French César race include The Diving Bell and Butterfly (7 nominations but still no recognition for Max Von Sydow --my interview -- damn!) and Persepolis (6 nominations)

Best Picture
La Graine et le Mulet -directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
The Diving Bell and Butterfly -directed by Julian Schnabel
La Vie En Rose directed by Olivier Dahan
Persépolis directed by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Un Secret directed by Claude Miller

Best Actress
This is not Marion Cotillard's first run @ the César. It's her fourth nomination. She previously won Best Supporting Actress for her work in A Very Long Engagement (starring Amelie Audrey Tatou) but it seems impossible that she'll lose for her Edith Piaf imitation. There's no Julie Christie juggernaut in the mix to stop her. Her competitors are Isabelle Carré (Anna M), Cécile de France (Un Secret), Marina Foïs (Darling), and Catherine Frot (Odette Toulemonde). The Césars are award in Paris on February 22nd so Marion is going to be travelling a lot that week if she wants to sit in the Kodak too for the Best Actress nail biter... that is if the Oscars roll on without a picket line.

Best Actor
Mathieu Amalric, who couldn't generate any Best Actor Oscar traction for his warm but limited work (hey, he can only blink his eye! it's not a judgment) in The Diving Bell and Butterfly is up for Best Actor across the pond. His competition includes Michel Blanch (Les Témains), Jean-Pierre Darroussin (Dialogue avec mon Jardinier), Vincent Lindon (Ceux qui Restent) and Jean-Pierre Marielle (Faut que ça Danse!)

and just for fun, here are the "breakthrough" nominees (or something equivalent I suppose) -- the French stars of tomorrow?

From left to right: Nicolas Cazalé, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Johan Libéreau,
Jocelyn Quivrin, Laurent Stocker, Louise Blachere, Adele Haenel, Audrey Dana,
Hafsia Herzi and Clotilde Hesme (these images aren't necessarily from the
films they're nominated for --and French readers can let me know
if I made an error in a face with a name)

How about we hear from some of our European readers? Have these 10 actors truly "arrived" this year. Which do you think have international careers ahead of them?

BAFTA Nominees for 2007

<-- Yes, Helen. It's nearly time to pass on the tiara (or... mask rather, made in Britain) of Best Actress in a Motion Picture. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts have announced their nominees for the films of 2007 and the next "best actress" will be either Queen Elizabeth Blanchett, Juno (not named after the town in Alaska), Edith "Cotillard" Piaf, Julie Christie or the still-rising Brit superstar Keira Knightley as "Cecilia". How the reheated leftover that is Cate Blanchett's Golden Elizabeth is still besting the likes of Amy "Enchanted" Adams, Savage Laura Linney and in this case Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart is beyond me. I just don't get it. Please to explain.

You can see the complete list of nominees here and if you click here they'll even read them to you. The British are so hospitable. It was a very good day for No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, American Gangster (!), La Vie En Rose, This is England, The Bourne Ultimatum and Atonement among others. But I'm not typing them up because I'm already tired of awards season. Bring on the Oscars and let's wrap this up.

I Did Not Live Blog The FrankenGlobes Awards Show...

... or whatever it is that NBC showed us instead of our beloved Golden Globe party. As a writer I sympathize with the WGA but, geez louise, I don't wanna go without my movie ceremonies. I watched from an empty apartment (Golden Globes night without a bustling party chez moi? Sacrilege!) whilst crying into my pillow. My dear (and hilarious) friend Nick Davis did live-blogging duties.

Update 1: Nick's obsessive posting got gobbled by blogger. But check back tomorrow for a really good laugh. Blogger will work the kinks out. I just hung up with Nick and we're both feeling that maybe it's a Bush dynasty conspiracy since unkind (and funny) things were said. What I want to know is this: We can finally remove the Bush family from the White House in January 2009. But who is going to remove Billy Bush from my television? They all must go! Let's make it a Bush clearance party.

Update 2: If you (wisely) steered clear of that broadcast you can check out the Golden Globe pages for the winners. Too bad there wasn't a ceremony since there were a few interesting surprises. Best Pictures: Atonement (drama) and Sweeney Todd (musical or comedy) You know: the exact movies that everyone has just dumped from their Oscar prediction lists for Best Picture.

I feel you, Cecilia. I feel you

But back to the show. I'll tell you: I can't do this again. If anything else gets cancelled I'm going to f-r-e-a-k. This show was a travesty. So, so, so tacky and inappropriate. Discussing the winners and losers right after they've been announced and who should have won? I never thought I'd say that but this particular development of the mutated version of the Golden Globes was even more embarrassing than the BFCA's "prediction" bragging. I felt like I need a shower after watching it. Bitching about the winners is the game we play at home. That's what parties and editorials and, um, blogging are for. It's not for the telecast you simpletons. That's rude.

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OFCS Winners !

A little birdy told me... that these are the winners of the ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION. They officially announce sometime today January 9th. But I am still awake when "today" is just beginning, so before I sleep...

give me all your awards ... friendo

Picture: No Country For Old Men
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Actor: Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Actress: Julie Christie - Away From Her (just barely over Ellen Page -Juno)
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Original Screenplay: Juno
Adapted Screenplay: No Country For Old Men
Cinematography: No Country for Old Men
Editing: No Country For Old Men
Original Score: There Will Be Blood
Documentary: The King of Kong
Foreign Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Animated Film: Ratatouile
Breakthrough Filmmaker: Sarah Polley - Away From Her (in a squeaker over Ben Affleck -Gone Baby Gone)
Breakthrough Performer: Nikki Blonsky -Hairspray

I know what you're thinking. How Very Original! Sticking their virtual necks out there for performances and films that have gone home empty-handed so far this year. In all seriousness, though, despite a fun and fairly open race for nominations in various categories with different awards bodies all season long, the actual winners circle has been a copy and paste snoozefest. My own top ten list has a lot of consensus choices in it I'm the first to admit (that kind of year I guess) but if the last couple of days (BFCA & OFCS win) following the rather uniform critics organizations are any indication, we'll hear the same winners all the way through the Globes and on to Oscar night.

BFCA, Yes. The Globes, No. Has the Whole World Lost Its Head?

I know that people don't exactly "respect" the Golden Globes or the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that vote on them but I remain aghast that they haven't been able to work anything out in terms of the WGA strike and might not even be televised or televised in odd form and yet the BFCA is allowed to go on (tonight in fact on VH1). What a world... The Golden Globes, even at their dumbest, are hella fun. They're the only red carpet show with any real sense of suspense. I'm having trouble imagining awards season without the Golden Globe party, both the one televised and the one I love to throw. It'll just be so... incomplete.

UPDATE: I blame the BFCA for interrupting the previously scheduled top ten posting. They both distracted me and bored me silly and I ended up on some other project entirely. Once again the BFCA thwarted any desire one may generously have to take them seriously by again baldly stating that they exist to predict the Oscars rather than to honor the best of the year. They actually said in the scripted intro for both lead actor and lead actress that they were trying to predict. Shameless.

So here were their Oscar predictions (i.e. winners)
PIC: No Country For Old Men
DIR: The Coen Bros, No Country For Old Men
ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
ACTRESS: Julie Christie, Away From Her
SUPP ACTOR: Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
SUPP ACTRESS: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
WRITER: Diablo Cody, Juno
COMPOSER: Johnny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood
SONG: "Falling Slowly," Once

and their awards that don't try to predict Oscars (different rules or category names)
JOEL SIEGEL HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Don Cheadle
I didn't know that Joel Siegel was a humanitarian but cool. Cheadle and Clooney and Pitt and that compassionate gang: Love them.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Diving Bell and Butterfly
DOCUMENTARY: Sicko
FAMILY FILM: Enchanted
COMEDY: Juno
ENSEMBLE: Hairspray
YOUNG ACTOR: Ahmad Kahn Mahmoodzada, The Kite Runner
YOUNG ACTRESS: Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray

Related Posts: BFCA Noms & Golden Globe Coverage
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Nominations ~ Bookish and Interwebby

USC Scripter Nominations are announced. In otherwords: Best Screenplays based on books.

• Atonement ~Hampton does McEwan
  
• Into the Wild ~Penn wanders with Krakauer
  
• No Country For Old Men ~The Coen Bros worship at the pen of Cormac McCarthy
  
• There Will Be Blood ~ P.T.A from Upton Sinclair
• Zodiac ~Vanderbilt dissects Graysmith
  

This is not quite the same thing as "Best Adapted Screenplay" at the Oscars but people view it as such. The Oscar category has a wider definition: your screenplay can be based on a short story (Away From Her, Lust Caution), older films (Rescue Dawn), stage plays (Bug, Hairspray, Sweeney Todd) --basically any previously published material. That's a solid list the USC has drawn up there though I personally think Into the Wild's spot could have gone to Jesse James or Diving Bell or A Mighty Heart

The Online Film Critics Society have also spoken. Their Best Picture list, quite sturdy, comes down to these (nearly identical) five...

• Atonement ~directed by Joe Wright
  
• Juno ~ directed by Jason Reitman
  
• No Country For Old Men ~ directed by the Coen Bros
  
• There Will Be Blood ~ directed by Paul Genius Anderson
  
• Zodiac ~ directed by David Fincher
  

Antagony & Ecstacy has the complete roster of their nominees. The Lovely Laura Linney (FINALLY!) is in for The Savages and Jennifer Garner also gets her first real awards notice for her somewhat sneaky and well handled turn as a baby hungry would be mom in Juno.

Points to the OFCS for their "breakthrough performer" list, too: Blonsky -Hairspray, Hansard -Once, Riley -Control, Van Houten -Black Book, Wei -Lust, Caution; not a single one of those performances isn't worth applauding and putting on your "to see" list right now. Seriously, load up that Netflix queue. The big disappointment for me in their nominated lineups: looks like I'll still be the only one to deny the lie of Casey Affleck as a "supporting" actor. [seriously people... if he's that good --just boot somebody out of Best Actor and make room for him -ed.]

Lust, Caution Wins More Awards Booty

The 44th Annual Golden Horse Awards (basically the Chinese language Oscars) were handed out this weekend and Ang Lee's Lust Caution took home the top prize (and six others). I love seeing Ang Lee smiling with golden loot, don't you? Here's two clips from the ceremony --thanks Tony! To your left is the Best Picture win presented by Joan Chen (one of Lust, Caution's stars but most famous stateside for Twin Peaks) and director Lee Shing. To your right Ang Lee winning best director, presented by the über lovely Shu Qi (how great is her dress? also: previous post) and Aaron Kwok.



Scientists everywhere may want to start studying Ang Lee's DNA. Gold statues are magnetized to him. Could be a windfall, I'm just saying...

Focus Features Lust, Caution team. Tony Leung Chiu Wai is absent *sniffle*
but you'll notice that Alexandre Desplat (second from right) picked up a
trophy for his gorgeous original score --his is the Oscar nomination
most likely to happen from that film I think.

I love that even in a foreign language you can't understand you can tell that the stars still have to go through dismal scripted "banter" before each prize. Taipei has its own Bruce Vilanch I'm sure. Banter, the curse of awards shows. In best actress news, Tang Wei's smashing debut in Lust, Caution lost out to Joan Chen's star turn in Home Song Stories which is, incidentally, Australia's submission to the Oscar Foreign Film race this year.

Update: Twitch Film has a complete list of winners
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