Randy Walden's Blog
Posted by Randy Walden
Oscar time is almost upon us. In the spirit of an election year, get out (or click over) and vote for your pick for Best Picture for the 80th Academy Awards. Visit the Suite101 Film Dramas poll. This is your chance to really make a difference.
If it’s been awhile since you’ve seen one of the films, check out this side-by-side comparison of the Best Picture nominees, with links to individual reviews. Feel free to leave comments letting me know how much you agree with me, or what an idiot I am.
For a look at nominees in other major categories, check out the “Oscar Nominations 2008” blog post.
Brush Up on Oscar History
If you’re a glutton for punishment, or just crazed with Oscar-mania, you can find out more than you ever wanted to know about the coveted little statuette at the Oscars website.
Legend has it that the award picked up the name “Oscar” after an Academy librarian by the name of Margaret Herrick (who later went on to become executive director), said the trophy reminded her of her Uncle Oscar. The 8-1/2 pound trinket was first dubbed “Oscar” by the press in 1934 by columnist Sydney Skolski, referring to Kate Hepburn’s first Best Actress win at the 6th Academy Awards (for Morning Glory).
Posted by Randy Walden
The Hollywood writers strike is finally over. Over 90 percent of the roughly 3,775 Writers Guild of America members in Los Angeles and New York voted yesterday to end their 100-day walkout.
The vote comes after WGA board members recommended a contract which will grant writers increased revenue and jurisdiction for internet-related content. It’s not everything the writers hoped for, but it’s a heck of a lot better than what they had. Kudos to the writers for hanging tough.
Kudos as well to News Corp. President Peter Chernin and Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger, who finally stepped in to negotiate on the studios’ behalf. The two were seen as much less contentious, and much more willing to negotiate, than Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
It will take some time to assess the fallout, as studios scramble to ramp up production of current projects before actors’ contracts expire this summer. Keep your fingers crossed.
Studios are also going to have to fight to win back some of the viewers who fled to the internet during the strike. The Los Angeles Times reports today that the number of videos streamed on YouTube spiked 12 percent from November to December, with the amount of time the average viewer spent watching videos increasing from an average of seven minutes to 111 minutes.
Posted by Randy Walden
The following list details the nominees in the major categories of: Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay. Winners are denoted with an asterisk (*).
The 80th Academy Awards aired February 24th on ABC. See "80th Oscars Honor Foreign Talent" for full Oscar night coverage.
Picture:
(See a side by side comparison of the Best Picture nominees. No Country for Old Men also won the Suite101 poll.)
Director:
- Paul Thomas Anderson: There Will Be Blood
- Joel and Ethan Coen: *No Country for Old Men
- Tony Gilroy: Michael Clayton
- Jason Reitman: Juno
- Julian Schnabel: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Lead Actor:
- George Clooney: Michael Clayton
- Daniel Day-Lewis: *There Will Be Blood
- Johnny Depp: Sweeny Todd
- Tommy Lee Jones: In the Valley of Elah
- Viggo Mortensen: Eastern Promises
Lead Actress:
- Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Julie Christie: Away From Her
- Marion Cotillard: *La Vie en Rose
- Laura Linney: The Savages
- Ellen Page: Juno
Original Screenplay:
- *Juno – Diablo Cody
- Lars and the Real Girl – Nancy Oliver
- Michael Clayton – Tony Gilroy
- Ratatouille – Brad Bird; story: Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
- The Savages – Tamara Jenkins
Adapted Screenplay:
- Atonement – Christopher Hampton
- Away From Her – Sarah Polley
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Ronald Harwood
- *No Country for Old Men – Joel and Ethan Coen
- There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson
Posted by Randy Walden
What if they held an awards show and people actually showed up? Surprise! It actually happened last night. Even as the Oscar race is at once heating up and wavering on the brink of destruction, the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards went on with A-list actors in full force, and it even had the blessing of the Writers Guild.
In spite of the 12-week-old writers strike, WGA President Patric Verrone attended the event, in seeming thanks for actors’ support of the writers’ cause.
The short list of SAG winners includes:
- No Country for Old Men, for best ensemble performance in a motion picture
- Daniel Day-Lewis, for best actor in There Will Be Blood
- Julie Christie, for best actress in Away From Her
- Javier Bardem, for best supporting actor in No Country for Old Men
- Ruby Dee, for best supporting actress in American Gangster
Josh Brolin, one of the stars of No Country for Old Men, spoke for the cast, saying, “It’s a risky movie. And it’s nice to have risky movies.” Indeed. While not among my favorite flicks of the year, one has to give credit for some edgy filmmaking, and one certainly can’t fault the acting.
Charles Durning also received SAG’s lifetime achievement award. At 84 years old, Durning, whose credits include The Sting, Dog Day Afternoon and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and who has four upcoming films, said he still had a lot to learn. “I’m just getting the hang of it,” he quipped.
Posted by Randy Walden
WGA Talks to Resume
Following the Directors Guild of America settlement with the studios, Hollywood writers are now poised to get back to the negotiating table, maybe as early as next Tuesday. Indeed, the writers weren’t the ones who left the table in the first place.
Let’s hope both sides will show a little more flexibility, without the writers having to sacrifice too much ground on new media payments. After all, while the DGA settlement may help pave the way for a writers deal, writers shouldn’t be bound by directors, who have traditionally had a more favorable arrangement anyway.
Grammys Waiver?
Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America is considering whether to grant a waiver for the upcoming Grammys show. But the WGA shouldn’t equivocate much. While I don’t have much sympathy for major music labels, the music industry drastically needs a shot in the arm right now.
Moreover, as Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow pointed out to the Los Angeles Times, the Academy is “not the enemy.” They’ve been on the forefront of copyright battles to protect content against piracy for a long time.
The WGA should respect their musical counterparts, and the tough times they’re facing. Since the advent of the digital age, music industry woes make writers’ troubles seem like a walk in the park right. The WGA needs to choose its battles. And while tanking the Golden Globes was the right call, taking the same tack with the Grammys doesn’t fit the bill.
