An official Oscar host and possible Best Picture frontrunners

It's no longer a theory; it's official: Eddie Murphy will host this year's Oscar ceremony! A good call, in my book.

In conjunction, one blog already has a list out of possible Best Picture frontrunners. I think it's a tad too early to predict that one, as buzz season doesn't begin until the later in the fall. (Though I couldn't help but notice a Clint Eastwood picture, J. Edgar, made the cut.)

Eddie Murphy, Oscar host?

An early IMDb report says that Eddie Murphy is the current front-runner to host next year's Oscars. I wouldn't mind this, because unlike most of Hollywood, I still like Eddie Murphy and think he's gotten something of a bad rap by Tinseltown.

10 Best Picture nominees next year

I got word on IMDb today that, for next year's Oscar ceremony, the Academy has decided to increase the number of Best Picture nominees from five to ten! The rationale given by the Academy president is thus:

"Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize."

If I'm not mistaken, the last time the Best Picture category had more than five nominees was in the '40s. That was the era when landmark films such as Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, and Rebecca beat out numerous other competitors—some of which were landmark films themselves! Think of The Philadelphia Story, Citizen Kane, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, even The Wizard of Oz!

I can see this adding great excitement to the race for Best Picture, because it raises the bar for films with that much more competition. The one question that comes to mind, however, is whether this will ever extend into the other Oscar categories—Best Actor, Best Director, etc.

Oscar Night 2009: LIVE BLOGGING!!!

In summation . . .

Well, it was an evening of some surprises, though with just as many awards going as predicted. Slumdog Millionaire fared much better than I expected it to, winning all but one of its nominations. WALL-E took home Best Animated Feature, continuing Pixar's Oscar streak. Kate Winslet finally brought home an Oscar, and Heath Ledger won the second-ever posthumous Oscar. Though I thought The Dark Knight would have fared much better than it did tonight. I thought Hugh Jackman proved to be quite a good and engaging host, and I really liked how the acting awards were presented as individual profiles of each nominee. All in all, a pretty good show.

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11:53 pm

Best Picture: Christian Colson for Slumdog Millionaire — Well, the favorite won it! And I had gotten so used to seeing Jack Nicholson give the Best Picture award that I was caught off-guard by Steven Spielberg walking onto the stage.

Best Actor: Sean Penn for Milk — Wow, this was a major upset here! I was fully expecting (and dare I say, hoping!) Mickey Rourke to win. Though that was a nice little call-out he did to Rourke in his speech.

Best Actress: Kate Winslet for The Reader — Woohoo!!! Finally! After how many nominations? Was it five, six? The incredible Kate Winslet finally brings home that wonderful golden trophy that she so righteously deserves.

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11:22 pm

Best Director: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire — I was personally hoping for David Fincher to win this one, even though I knew it was Slumdog’s.

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11:09 pm

Best Foreign Language Film: Departures from Japan — I'm seriously going to have to find out where these foreign language films are being shown! Because in retrospect, I would love to have seen such films like City of God or The Lives of Others on the big screen.

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11:03 pm

Best Original Song: A.R. Rahman and Sampooran Singh Gulzar for "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire — I liked how they grouped all the songs together in this show, rather than spread them out across the night. I think there are fewer song selections this year, too. You know, with all these awards, I may have to see Slumdog Millionaire sooner rather than later!

Best Original Score: A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire — I couldn't help but notice that all the nominated musical selections were slow and meditative, with Slumdog Millionaire being the notable exception (at least instrumentally).

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10:45 pm

You know, I really enjoyed seeing Eddie Murphy give the Jean Hersholt tribute to Jerry Lewis. It reminded me of the Eddie Murphy I knew and loved back in the '80s. And that was quite a lovely speech by Jerry Lewis.

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10:36 pm

Best Film Editing: Chris Dickens for Slumdog Millionaire — Hmmm, seems like a dead heat now between Slumdog Millionaire and Benjamin Button!

Best Sound Mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, and Resul Pookutty for Slumdog Millionaire — Now I had thought The Dark Knight would pick up this one, because the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing must be a very fine line. That was a very nice acceptance speech, though!

Best Sound Editing: Richard King for The Dark Knight — I missed this speech, because I was letting Nora back into the apartment. :)

Best Visual Effects: Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, and Craig Barron for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — Like I said earlier, Benjamin Button is gaining quite a fooothold here!

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10:19 pm

Best Documentary Short: Megan Mylan for Smile Pinki — I wonder if these are playing at the E Street Cinema, too. Or the Drafthouse!

Best Documentary Feature: James Marsh and Simon Chinn for Man on Wire — Wow, I wasn't expecting Bill Maher to present an award tonight! And the magic tricks were a nice touch, too.

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight — I must disagree with a comment made to this live-blog post, because this is a worthy award for a very worthy performance. And Heath Ledger now becomes the second-ever posthumous award winner, after Peter Finch for Network. And I think it's very classy for the Academy to allow his family the opportunity to accept his Oscar.

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9:56 pm

Okay, I'm less impressed with this musical number than I was the first one. Hugh Jackman has great energy, but this number here seems a little redundant.

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9:48 pm

Best Live Action Short: Jochen Alexander Freydank for Spielzeugland — Okay, I must fess up to my idiocy here, because that short film with James Franco and Seth Rogan, it didn't even occur to me that this would be the buildup to the category's Oscar! Here, I thought it was just another montage.

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9:36 pm

Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire — Wow, Ben Stiller's really stealing the spotlight here! Is it me, or does he actually look good in that scruffy beard?

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9:28 pm

Best Makeup: Greg Cannom for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — Wow, I thought Hellboy II would take this home! But I think Benjamin Button could be gaining a strong foothold here tonight! Look out, Slumdog!

Best Costume Design: Michael O'Connor for The Duchess — Now this award makes sense, because costume design on a period piece is always a sure-fire winner.

Best Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — Oooh, now I had thought this would go to either The Dark Knight or The Duchess. The first of many surprises tonight!

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9:10 pm

Best Animated Short Film: Kunio Katô for La Maison en petits cubes — Okay, I published pre-emptively just now. But I'd like to make it to the E Street Cinema sometime, as I think these shorts are playing there!

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9:07 pm

Best Animated Feature: Andrew Stanton for WALL-E — Pixar's Oscar streak continues! And I think I like Jack Black's plan of action RE: Pixar. ;)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire — You know, I'm intriged that Tina Fey and Steve Martin not only presented both screenwriting awards, but presented them one after the other! I regretfully haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, so I can't comment on the faithfulness of its adaptation.

Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black for Milk — Another big award at the beginning! I had a feeling it would come down to either Milk or WALL-E.

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8:49 pm

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona — Wow, I didn't think they'd start off with an acting Oscar right off the bat! But it's a great way to get me hooked. :) And it's quite nice to see Eva Marie Saint grace the stage!

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8:36 pm

Now this is an interesting musical number! Though I admit, a little unexpected. ;) But I like how Hugh Jackman's getting the audience involved directly, as this is quite a good nominee montage. I didn't realize Anne Hathaway could sing so well, either!

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8:31 pm

Wow, that's some stage they got! And it looks like the festivities are about to begin! Woohoo!!!

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8:25 pm

Wow, that's a super-long dress that Marisa Tomei is wearing tonight! And I'm wondering if it was wise to bring up her previous Oscar win (for My Cousin Vinny), because that was one of the greatest whiskey-tango-foxtrot moments in Oscar history.

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8:06 pm

You know, after all these years, even after seeing his bad-boy persona so strong and so believable in Grindhouse and No Country for Old Men, it's still hard to see Josh Brolin as anyone other than Brand from The Goonies.

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8:00 pm

All righty, people, it's time to get this party started!!! :) Tonight will mark my third year of live-blogging the Oscars, and this year I'm blogging the show from Nora's laptop (my own little change of venue). I'm quite excited to see this year's crop of winners, and I'm feeling pretty good about Hugh Jackman as host! And with all the possible outcomes, upsets, and surprises that could unfold before us tonight, naturally the suspense is terrible. Will Slumdog Millionaire sweep all the awards it's been nominated for, or could Benjamin Button or The Dark Knight sneak up from behind? Could Meryl Streep and Robert Downey, Jr., overpower Kate Winslet and Heath Ledger? Or will Kung-Fu Panda upset Pixar's Oscar streak? . . . By the end of tonight, all our questions will be answered! :)

Shameless self-promotion

Before I forget, I just wanted to remind my audience (which might be growing to a record high of five readers!) that I'll be live-blogging this Sunday's Oscar ceremony!

This'll be the third year in what is rapidly becoming an annual tradition for me, and it's definitely an experience that I look forward to each February!

So stay tuned for Sunday night's festivities right here! And keep your eyes peeled for any surprises (read, upsets) that might surface come awards time!

Pondering Oscar upsets

With the Oscar ceremony fast approaching, I've found myself pondering some possible upsets at this year's awards show.

For example . . .

Best Picture: I think it's safe to say that Slumdog Millionaire is firmly out in front for Best Picture. But I've begun to wonder if The Curious Case of Benjamin Button could sneak up from behind and overtake it. Instances like this have happened before—Crash overtaking favorited Brokeback Mountain (a move I still think was the correct one), Chariots of Fire overtaking Raiders of the Lost Ark. From this year's line-up, I think the only other picture that might even come close to scoring an upset is Milk.

Best Actor: If anyone upsets Mickey Rourke, it'll likely be Sean Penn. Say what you will about his politics, but the man can act! All the evidence you need of this is Mystic River and I Am Sam. Earlier I had thought Frank Langella might be the one to pull off an upset, but after seeing Frost/Nixon, I'd have to put him in third place.

Best Actress: As much as I'd like for Kate Winslet to take home the gold, I can't discount Meryl Streep from stealing it away. Bear in mind, I haven't seen The Reader or Doubt yet, so I can't fully assess which actress gave the better performance, but I'm cheering for Kate Winslet on principle, because I think she's a fabulous actress who's long overdue for an Oscar. As to Meryl Streep, I think I've made my feelings for her quite clear by now.

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger was considered a shoo-in even before he died, and while I don't think he'll lose, I don't think Robert Downey, Jr. shouldn't be counted out, either. Josh Brolin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, those guys are pretty long shots in my opinion.

Best Supporting Actress: This one is really hard to gauge. At first I thought it would be Amy Adams who'd be crowned winner, but now I'm starting to wonder if Viola Davis or Penelope Cruz have running chances.

I guess all questions will be answered on Sunday night!!!

The Oscar nominations have been announced, too!

On the heels of yesterday's announcement of Razzie nominees, this morning I listened to the live video feed of this year's Oscar nominations. It's always good to see Forest Whitaker on the stage and on the screen, and I can think of no better person to announce this year's crop of nominees.

Best Picture: I have to admit, I was a little surprised that The Dark Knight didn't get a Best Picture nod. I'm not necessarily bothered by it, mind you, but the buzz for it was definitely strong. And it still got eight nominations—no small task! Though I think Benjamin Button came away with something like 13 nominations (to include Best Picture), which is quite a wallop. And Frost/Nixon I'm just aching to see! Even though it'll likely lose to the emerging favorite, Slumdog Millionaire.

Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director: Even though I'm fine with The Dark Knight not getting a Best Picture nod, I was hoping that director Christopher Nolan would get a Best Director nod. He's a bit overdue for one, I think. (I still think he and much of Memento got snubbed at the Oscars a number of years back.) I was also disappointed that Darren Aronofsky didn't receive a nomination for The Wrestler. Like Nolan, Aronofsky is definitely overdue for some Oscar consideration. Though I was quite delighted to see David Fincher finally get a nomination! He's proven himself to be a very capable filmmaker over the years, helming such great films as Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac. Ron Howard's kind of a no-brainer, even though I often go both ways with his films (some I love, some I hate).

Prediction: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Frank Langella, Sean Penn, and Mickey Rourke all seemed like shoo-ins for a nomination. Brad Pitt was actually a surprise, as was Richard Jenkins. I had actually been wondering if Michael Sheen was going to get a companion nomination for Frost/Nixon, but alas, no.

Prediction: Mickey Rourke, even though I find myself cheering for Frank Langella right now

Best Actress: Now this category could become rather interesting, because we have some really serious contenders here! Kate Winslet is on her—what, sixth, seventh Oscar nomination now? Without a win, I might add? Though I had figured she'd get a nomination for Revolutionary Road rather than The Reader. Personally, I think she deserved an Oscar win for Little Children, though I think the award went to Helen Mirren that year. Now as to Meryl Streep? I know I've said this many times before, but I don't like her as an actress, even though she does look quite convincing in Doubt. I actually wasn't expecting Anne Hathaway's nomination, though Angelina Jolie's nomination for Changeling doesn't come as a surprise. (From what I'd heard, she was the saving grace of the picture.)

Prediction: I think it'll be a toss-up between Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet

Best Supporting Actor: All eyes of the world were looking a posthumous nomination for Heath Ledger, and they sure got it! On the anniversary of his death, no less! The real surprise to me was Robert Downey, Jr.'s nomination for Tropic Thunder. I haven't seen that film, and I had largely written off his role as a joke. Apparently it wasn't, though! Philip Seymour Hoffman continues to amaze us, though I had expected his nomination to be in the leading actor rather than supporting actor category.

Prediction: Heath Ledger becoming only the second posthumous Oscar winner in more than 30 years, and if anyone would score an upset in this category, it'd likely be Robert Downey, Jr.

Best Supporting Actress: I was quite happy to see Viola Davis get a nomination! I've liked her as an actress going all the way back to her short role as the social worker in Traffic, and to see her finally get the recognition she deserves is just wonderful. Though she'll likely have to duke it out with Amy Adams for the win, because Amy Adams is another fabulous actress in her own right. I actually wasn't expecting a nomination for Marisa Tomei, though I'd have to see The Wrestler to judge for myself the merits of her performance. I think with her it's a case of slowly earning my respect. Her Oscar win for My Cousin Vinny is still among the greatest whiskey-tango-foxtrot moments in Oscar history, though her next nomination for In the Bedroom was very well deserved.

Prediction: Amy Adams

Best Original Screenplay: This is a hard category to analyze, mostly because I haven't seen any of these films, but have instead heard of their strengths. Seeing WALL-E among the nominees was unexpected, though not so much for Milk or In Bruges.

Prediction: WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay: Here we have so many of the Best Picture nominees!

Prediction: Slumdog Millionaire

I personally think The Dark Knight will sweep up technical wins for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Art Direction, though Hellboy II might have a fighting chance against it with Best Makeup. And I can see Best Visual Effects going to Benjamin Button.

WALL-E is simply a lock for winning Best Animated Feaure. Because if it's a Pixar film, you know damn well it's gonna win an Oscar.

And now comes the hard part . . . waiting one more month for the awards ceremony! And I fully intend to live-blog the ceremony once again, so stay tuned!

Bitten by the Oscar bug

Well, it's finally happened: I've been bitten by the Oscar bug for this year. I think it finally hit me when I began browsing and commenting on IMDB's Oscar Buzz message board today. It also didn't help that I saw a news article about how the Oscar website has been revamped, and that it's only a little more than two weeks before this year's nominations are announced.

As always, I'll continue the tradition of live-blogging the Oscar ceremony, though I haven't seen many of the films that seem to be garnering a lot of the buzz. Valkyrie was the last film I saw in the theater, and I'm hoping to catch Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, and Doubt in the coming days/weeks. I may also try to see Gran Torino, even though I hate how Clint Eastwood has become Oscar's golden boy in the last few years. (Forgive me, but Million Dollar Baby did not deserve Best Picture.)

And The Dark Knight? You know, I can't seem to figure out how that'll fit into this year's Oscars. Heath Ledger seems like a shoo-in for a Best Supporting Actor nomination, his death notwithstanding, and it would be nice if Gary Oldman received a nomination, too! As to whether the film will land a Best Picture nomination? That I still can't say. Don't get me wrong, it was a good movie! But if it gets a Best Picture nod, I kinda think it'll be due to its long blockbuster ride—much the same way Titanic was back in the day—rather than working from the story itself. Though I don't doubt it'll land a ton of technical nominations, like Best Sound, Cinematography, Art Direction. And maybe, maybe, nominations for Screenplay and Director.

But we shall see, won't we! And it won't be too much longer. :) As I say, only a little more than two weeks till nominations are announced!!!

Move over, Jon Stewart!

This is certainly an interesting turn of events! It was announced tonight that the host for the 2009 Oscar ceremony will be none other than Hugh Jackman! He wasn't necessarily on my short list of hosts, but nevertheless, I find myself quite intrigued by this selection! And I think he could prove to be quite a good Oscar host—just as good a host as Jon Stewart last year and Ellen DeGeneres two years ago (she's my favorite host thus far; I was too young to enjoy Billy Crystal during his glory days). Hugh Jackman is also an actor I've really come to enjoy, as he's proven to be quite an accomplished and capable actor in the last several years. (It still kinda irks me that he was overlooked by the Academy for The Fountain.) But maybe one day he'll share the same honor that Whoopi has—being an Oscar host and an Oscar winner.

I still intend to keep up the tradition of live-blogging the Oscar ceremony this coming February, despite my decrease in blogging traffic this year (especially in the movie review department)—both of which I'm aiming to rectify in the coming months.

An early contender?

Looks like the search for an Oscar host is getting under way, if IMDb tells me true!

British comedian Ricky Gervais is hotly tipped to host next year's Academy Awards.

Gossips claim new Oscars bosses Laurence Mark and Bill Condon were impressed with The Office creator's laugh-raising stint at Sunday's Emmy Awards, and they want to audition him for the Oscars.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but I've never heard of Gervais, and I don't know what his particular brand of comedy entails. Though this much I can say: it may be a tall order following in the footsteps of Ellen DeGeneres and Jon Stewart. They did a fabulous job of hosting the ceremonies in recent years, so the bar for a good and engaging host may be a little higher.

Oscar Night 2008: LIVE BLOGGING

In summation . . .

Well, I can honestly say it's been an interesting awards show! It proceeded on schedule for the most part, with No Country taking home the major awards it was expected to, and Daniel Day-Lewis winning Best Actor—though I never expected the Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories (along with several others, like Best Original Song and Best Visual Effects) to proceed as they did. But all things considered, it was a good Oscar ceremony! The surprises made it worth watching, and Jon Stewart proved to be an excellent host this time around.

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11:46 pm

Best Picture: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, and Scott Rudin for No Country for Old Men — Again, I was hoping for There Will Be Blood. But it was quite nice to see Denzel presenting Best Picture.

Best Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men — Doh! I was hoping for Paul Thomas Anderson, but the Coens did just make movie history by being the first pair to win Best Director since 1961.

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11:36 pm

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood — Another one that was clearly a lock, but having seen There Will Be Blood, I can honestly say this Oscar was righteously deserved.

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11:29 pm

Okay, now for the final big three! While these last three winners are somewhat predictable, the suspense in the air is palpable, because this has been an evening of great surprises! Will these last awards go out on schedule, or are all bets off?

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11:26 pm

Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody for Juno — I say again, is this really a surprise? Though I like that tattoo Diablo Cody has on her right arm!

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11:18 pm

Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli for Atonement — Doh! I was hoping for James Newton Howard for Michael Clayton. But at least I'm consoled by the fact that Amy Adams is smokin' hot!

Best Documentary, Short Subject: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth for Freeheld — Like Best Animated Short, this too was an original way to present the nominees—a video feed from troops in Iraq!

Best Documentary Features: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner for Taxi to the Dark Side — I'm just breathing a big sigh of relief that Michael Moore isn't back up on the Oscar stage . . .

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11:05 pm

Best Cinematography: Robert Elswit for There Will Be Blood — Oooh, I was expecting Roger Deakins for Jesse James, but I'll agree with this call as well.

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10:57 pm

Now that was a nice gesture—letting Markéta Irglová come back on stage to finish her acceptance speech. Good call, very classy.

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10:52 pm

Best Original Song: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová for the song "Falling Slowly" from Once — Yet another surprise! Because like Dreamgirls last year, I thought Enchanted would score a victory with one of its three songs in the lineup.

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10:45 pm

Best Foreign Language Film: Die Fälscher from Austria — I'm gonna have to visit the E Street Cinema sometime to see some of these foreign films. Because I think The Lives of Others played there last year.

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10:33 pm

Best Film Editing: Christopher Rouse for The Bourne Ultimatum — Okay, make that three Oscars for The Bourne Ultimatum! :)

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10:28 pm

Okay, Jack, you had me scared there for a minute. I thought for some reason they were going to do Best Picture early this year, too!!!

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10:15 pm

Best Sound Editing: Karen M. Baker and Per Hallberg for The Bourne Ultimatum — You know, I think this might be the first Bourne film to win an Oscar!

Best Sound: Scott Millan, David Parker, and Kirk Francis for The Bourne Ultimatum — Wow, Bourne Ultimatum wins two Oscars!!! This I didn't expect, but I'm certainly not complaining. :)

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose — Wow, they did this award early this year! Usually it's saved for close to the end of the show, along with actor, director, and picture. But then again, the 2005 ceremony started right off the bat with Best Supporting Actor, so I guess the precedent's already been set. But getting back to the Best Actress award, this was another surprise, because I was thinking it'd be either Julie Christie or Ellen Page.

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9:50 pm

Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men — I think having Josh Brolin, a No Country co-star (and who will always remain Brand from Goonies to me), was something of a giveaway. Though I'm wondering why their speech came to an abrupt end.

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9:41 pm

Best Live Action Short: Philippe Pollet-Villard for Les Mozart des pickpockets — It's very good to see Owen Wilson back on the scene. And I think Philippe Pollet-Villard's English is pretty good, despite his claims to the contrary.

Best Animated Short: Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman for Peter & the Wolf — That was a very original way to present this award—Jerry Seinfeld in his bee character from Bee Movie, even doing an animated envelope!

Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton — Okay I admit, this one really surprised me. For a while, I had no idea who would take home this gold trophy, because it seemed like a five-way tie all around. If anything, I had expected Amy Ryan to edge ahead of the competition, and I hadn't really thought much of Tilda Swinton's performance in Michael Clayton. But I guess surprises like this are what make the Oscar ceremonies so interesting.

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9:19 pm

Best Visual Effects: Michael L. Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, and Trevor Wood for The Golden Compass — Wow, I didn't realize The Rock would be presenting an award tonight! And I admit to being surprised, because I thought Pirates was a sure-fire shoo-in for this award, running practically neck-and-neck with Transformers.

Best Art Direction: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo for Sweeney Todd — This makes perfect sense, being a Tim Burton film (which I alluded to last night). Though I don't think Cate Blanchett played a pit bull in No Country for Old Men.

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men — Now I ask you, was this really a surprise? I was really hoping for Tom Wilkinson, but I was kind of resigned to Javier winning. And he noticed, too, that you have to speak fast in acceptance speeches! I'm glad he called out the orchestra on that.

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9:02 pm

Damn, Amy Adams is hot! And we're approaching the first of the acting awards soon!

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8:58 pm

Best Animated Feature: Brad Bird for Ratatouille — Okay, now Brad Bird should have been given a chance to finish his acceptance speech. It seemed like he had a very short window to talk. But on another note, did Steve Carrell say "shot" or "shit"?

Best Makeup: Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald for La Vie en Rose — Again, let them finish their acceptance speeches! Especially since there were two winners (and the first was a man of very few words).

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8:43 pm

Best Costume Design: Alexandra Byrne for Elizabeth: The Golden Age — Awesome! First award of the night! This seemed like the logical choice, being that it was a heavy regal period piece.

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8:40 pm

Okay, this is the Jon Stewart I was hoping for two years ago! Witty, funny, clever, engaging—this is the Oscar host that we need, and thankfully the one we received. :)

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8:37 pm

All things considered, I think Jon Stewart handled the topic of the writer's strike as good as could be. At first, I was a little nervous (and I wasn't sure what to make of the "make-up sex" comment), but the idea of writers and actors coming together (outside of the Vanity Fair after-party, that is) is a good idea and a good springboard from which to move forward.

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8:30 pm

All righty, looks like this party is about to get started!!! :)

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8:26 pm

Gee, no pressure from Regis tonight! 'Cause nothing makes a group of dancers feel more confident and composed than reminding them that the whole world is watching you live on TV, looking for any little slip-up!

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8:17 pm

Wow, Daniel Day-Lewis looks very different than I remember him! I'd gotten so used to seeing him in the characters of Bill The Butcher and Daniel Plainview that I'd forgotten how he looked without the facial hair and makeup. (Though I don't think those earrings look right on him.)

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8:07 pm

Okay, that interview comment about John Travolta wearing/not wearing a dress in recognition of Hairspray was somewhat unexpected. Though I did enjoy Kelly Preston's dress!

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8:00 pm

It's time to get this party started, y'all, because this is the night that all of Hollywood and movie fans everywhere have been waiting for! The Red Carpet has been rolled out, the stars are showing up, and with the writer's strike now resolved, the show can go on! (Talk about excellent timing.) I'm crossing my fingers that Jon Stewart proves to be a worthy and engaging host, much like Ellen DeGeneres was last year. I must admit, I had reservations when I learned that he'd be hosting this year, because I found him a bit too deadpan and uninteresting when he hosted the ceremony two years ago. But the next 40 minutes or so will probably be filled with interviews and photo shoots, so keep it here until then!

Predictions for tomorrow night's Oscars

One last plug before tomorrow night's show: I'm live-blogging the Oscar ceremony tomorrow night!!!

And now that I've gotten that out of the way, here are predictions on the winners for this year:

• No Country for Old Men will take home Best Picture gold, though I'd prefer There Will Be Blood instead. No Country left me very puzzled at the end, without any sense of resolution, and while I normally don't decry that (since I watch and adore David Lynch's films), it just didn't work for me with No Country for Old Men.



• The Coen brothers will jointly take home the directing award, becoming the first pair to win a directing Oscar since I think West Side Story in 1961. Personally, I'm crossing my fingers for Paul Thomas Anderson, because his direction for There Will Be Blood was just magnificent.



• Daniel Day-Lewis is a shoo-in for Best Actor (though George Clooney is on record for being disappointed that he'll likely be losing to Daniel Day-Lewis). Johnny Depp definitely deserves an Oscar one day, but I can't see him winning for Sweeney Todd—and definitely not over Daniel Day-Lewis.



• Can't say I know who'll get Best Actress, being that I haven't seen any of the nominated performances.



• Like Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood, Javier Bardem is a shoo-in to win Best Supporting Actor, though I'd prefer either Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton or Casey Affleck for Jesse James.



• Best Supporting Actress feels like an all-around tie, because from what I can see, all of them have a shot at winning. Amy Ryan seems to be the favorite for Gone Baby Gone, though I can somehow see Tilda Swinton swiping it for Michael Clayton (though I honestly wasn't too impressed with her performance).



• Best Original Screenplay is a toss-up between Juno and Ratatouille, though I think Juno edges ahead by a hair with its chances.



• No Country will undoubtedly take Best Adapted Screenplay, though Sarah Polley might—might!—score an upset with the script for Away From Her.



• Having seen three of the five nominees for Best Cinematography (No Country, There Will Be Blood, and Jesse James), I can honestly say that all three had wondrous cinematography. Though I'd have to say Jesse James inches ahead by a hair.



• Sweeney Todd will take Best Art Direction, simply because Tim Burton's dark worlds necessitate very pronounced artistic flair.



• Elizabeth: The Golden Age will take Best Costume Design. Why? Because it's a heavy period piece, far more so than Atonement. When you deal with 15th-, 16th-, 17th-century regals, you don't just put the bare minimum into the costume design. Just ask Sofia Coppola!



• I'm crossing my fingers that James Newton Howard takes home the gold for Best Musical Score for Michael Clayton—a score which I found to be a fantastic cross between Heat and Traffic.



• I can see The Transformers taking the gold for Best Sound, though the third Pirates movie is a shoo-in for Best Visual Effects. If you don't believe me, just watch the final battle royale at sea in Pirates, and you'll see what I mean.



• For Best Documentary Features, I think No End in Sight will emerge the winner, though I don't discount Michael Moore's Sicko—not by a mile. The only reason I can see him not winning is a) because he's controversial by nature—and pretty much basks in the controversy he creates—and b) because I don't think Hollywood wants to hear him finish his acceptance speech from when he won for Bowling for Columbine (which he claims he will do if he wins).



• Best Animated Feature belongs to Ratatouille, end of story.

So there are my predictions. I don't have anything riding on them, except my credibility. ;) But either way, I hope you'll join me tomorrow night for a fabulous awards ceremony!

Shameless self-promotion

In just another week, the Oscar ceremony will be happening! And with the writer's strike now over, we can be assured that the show will indeed go on.

And as a reminder to my loyal readers, I'll be live-blogging the Oscar ceremony again next Sunday night. Should be a fun-filled evening! Possibly with a few surprises (i.e., award upsets) thrown into the mix (though sadly, I don't have inside information).

It's two weeks to Oscar time!

It just suddenly struck me this morning that Oscar night is exactly two weeks from tonight!!! And I'm finally starting to feel the tension, the nail-biting excitement of what will win top gold this year.

So far I've seen several (though not all) of the contenders, my most recent being No Country for Old Men, which I found to be rather unusual—which probably shouldn't surprise me, given that it's a Coen brothers movie. So far it's gained quite a lot of ground as the clear frontrunner for many of the categories, not the least of which are Best Picture, Best Director(s) (since both Coens directed the film), Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I have to admit, I might be a little disappointed if this wins any of the first three awards I mentioned, because I think I'm leaning more in the direction of There Will Be Blood for Best Picture and Best Director (though if that film wins any award, it'll be Daniel Day-Lewis, who's a veritable shoo-in for Best Actor).

Again, I wouldn't be surprised to see Javier Bardem win Best Supporting Actor for No Country, though I find myself actually leaning in the direction of Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Crawford. I was able to grab that DVD from Netflix right when it was released, and I found Affleck's performance unexpectedly riveting!

Speaking of Jesse James, I'm very surprised that it didn't receive a nomination for Best Original Score! The scores for this and There Will Be Blood were utterly fabulous, and I'm actually a tad perturbed that neither were recognized by the Academy. But in the case of Jesse James, I am pleased that it received a Cinematography nomination, and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll win (over No Country), because the cinematography in Jesse James was utterly stunning! Truth be told, I'm a little surprised that Jesse James didn't get a Best Picture and Director nomination, but I'm nevertheless pleased that it got some recognition by the Academy. (Speaking of snubs, there's even a school of thought that Ratatouille was snubbed for Best Picture! I personally don't have strong feelings on the matter, but I'm sure it'll pick up the win for Best Animated Feature.)

But going back to Best Supporting Actor for a moment, I almost forgot to mention Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton. Sadly, I don't think he has a shot at winning, which is a shame because he was unbelievable as the high-priced lawyer who experiences a profound change of heart—very much reminiscent of Peter Finch's Howard Beale from Network.

Just as a reminder, I'm still planning to live-blog the Oscar ceremony in two weeks, so if you don't find yourself near a TV on Oscar night (Kaylyn, I'm looking in your direction!), tune in here for the wins as they happen!

The Oscar nominees have been announced!

This morning I had the pleasure of listening to the official news broadcast of this year's Oscar nominees. You can find the full list of nominees here (IMDb), and also here (Oscars.org). I would say my reaction to some of these nominees was varied—which is to say, some I expected, some I did not expect, and some I was pleasantly surprised by.

So now let's break down the key nominees! :)

Best Picture: From the list of Best Picture nominees, I've only seen two of the five: Michael Clayton, and There Will Be Blood. I found There Will Be Blood to be quite a fascinating, well-made film (my review is still being composed), though I'm rather puzzled by Michael Clayton receiving all the nominations it did. It was a good film, but I just wasn't that overpowered by it. I haven't seen Juno yet, nor No Country for Old Men, though both have gotten quite a lot of buzz, and No Country for Old Men is definitely on my must-see list (despite my mixed reactions to the Coens and their films). I'll just get this out of the way now: I'm no fan of romantic movies, so I really can't get excited by Atonement, despite its winning one of the top Golden Globes.

Prediction: No Country for Old Men, with Atonement possibly scoring an upset

Best Director: I think a lot of people are gonna be upset that Tim Burton didn't get a nomination for Sweeney Todd, though I personally have no feelings on the matter. I'm glad, however, to see Paul Thomas Anderson getting a nomination for There Will Be Blood, and the nomination for the Coen brothers (both of them!) was kind of a foregone conclusion.

Prediction: The Coen brothers for No Country for Old Men

Best Actor: I think it'll essentially boil down to a battle between Daniel Day-Lewis and Johnny Depp. I saw There Will Be Blood, and found it to be quite a unique film, with Day-Lewis giving a powerhouse performance that simply cried out, "Oscar lock!" On the other hand, Johnny Depp is long past due for an Oscar win, and while I haven't seen Sweeney Todd yet, I definitely want this guy to win an Oscar one day. Personally, I think he was robbed by not getting nominated for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a number of years back. But here I also have to bring in the "pleasantly surprised" motif, because of Viggo Mortensen's nomination for Eastern Promises. It struck many (myself included) to be a long-shot nomination, and his performance was indeed impressive! As to George Clooney, I'm puzzled by his nomination. Yes, he was good, but I didn't find him quite as compelling as I did in Syriana.

Prediction: Really, it's a dead heat between Daniel Day-Lewis and Johnny Depp

Best Actress: I'm afraid I haven't seen any of these films, so I really can't gauge who gave the best performance. Though I did notice Cate Blanchett got a second nomination for the same role she played 10 years ago! In 1998, she got a Best Actress nomination for Elizabeth, and this year she's being nominated for Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I think that's a genuine Academy first! The closest analogy I can make is to Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro both winning Oscars for playing the same character, Vito Corleone, in The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II, respectively.

Prediction: I'm gonna go way out on a limb here and say Ellen Page for Juno

Best Supporting Actor: I must admit, I'm a trifle disappointed that Paul Dano didn't receive a nomination for There Will Be Blood. He definitely held his own opposite Day-Lewis, and provided a perfect complement to his character, so it's a shame the Academy didn't recognize his performance. On the flip side, though, I am pleased that Tom Wilkinson received a nomination. His sendup to Peter Finch's Howard Beale from Network was just stunning, and I think Michael Clayton showcased some of his best work yet! Though I wasn't quite expecting Philip Seymour Hoffman's nomination, nor Hal Holbrook's. Though I'm also pleased by Casey Affleck getting a nomination (though I thought it might have been for Gone Baby Gone rather than Jesse James). If there was one person I'd have wished a nomination for in this category, though, it would be Robert Downey, Jr. for Zodiac. He was such a scene-stealer in that film, but popular thought is that Zodiac premiered too early in the year for it to be a viable contender, and I think that assessment is sadly correct.

Prediction: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress: Okay, I never in a million years thought I'd see Cate Blanchett play a man—let alone play Bob Dylan!!! Would this be the appropriate time to shout, in true Austin Powers fashion, "It's a man, baby!"? It looks like I'll have to see I'm Not There now. But here's another instance where the "pleasantly surprised" motif comes in, specifically with Ruby Dee's nomination for American Gangster! In an otherwise passable film, I found Ruby Dee's performance to be rather impressive, rather classy, and I remember thinking that an Oscar nomination for her would be in order, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to come to fruition. I've heard a lot of buzz surrounding Saoirse Ronan for Atonement and Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone, but I have to say, I'm still surprised that Tilda Swinton got a nomination for Michael Clayton. It's not necessarily that she did a mediocre acting job, but rather her role was surprisingly clumsy. She was supposed to be a ruthless executive, but ended up tripping over her own feet because she didn't have a clue how to be ruthless. Just didn't strike me as Oscar-worthy, I guess. Though if you really want to see a powerhouse Tilda performance, check her out in Chronicles of Narnia, where she was icy as hell (and robbed of a nomination).

Prediction: Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There, though I'm keeping an eye out for Ruby Dee or Amy Ryan to score an upset

Best Original Score: I'm kinda surprised there wasn't a nomination for There Will Be Blood. I felt that Jonny Greenwood's rather unique score lent a greatly different yet perfectly fitting feel to the picture!

No prediction

Best Animated Feature: And where, pray tell, was The Simpsons Movie's nomination???

Prediction: Ratatouille

Best Documentary Feature: Politics as usual will rain on this parade, with No End in Sight and Michael Moore's Sicko up for awards. I'm rather tired of Michael Moore's arrogant, slanted politics, so I'm crossing my fingers that he doesn't try to steal the limelight at this year's awards show and/or make a political statement if he wins.

Prediction: No End in Sight

Best Original Screenplay: Juno and Michael Clayton seem the two likeliest to receive an original screenplay nomination, though I wasn't expecting Ratatouille to be among the flock.

Prediction: Diablo Cody for Juno

Best Adapted Screenplay: Of these nominees, the only one I've seen is There Will Be Blood, and I haven't actually read the Upton Sinclair novel on which it was based. (Actually, I can only think of two instances where I've read the original novel from which an Oscar-nominated screenplay was written—Mystic River and L.A. Confidential. And now that I think about it, both movies had the same screenwriter!) But Atonement and No Country for Old Men also seem like logical nominees.

Prediction: The Coen brothers for No Country for Old Men

And now we wait for February 24, that most-anticipated night where the awards get handed out! Strike or no strike, I still hope the show goes on. And barring the unforeseen, I still intend to do another live-blogging of the ceremony this year.

A watered-down press conference

I caught a few minutes of the Golden Globes last night, just to see what the "press conference" style of this awards shows would be like—and to get a taste of what the Oscar ceremony might morph into in another month, should the writer strike go unresolved.

I have to say, it was quite different than what I had expected. I mean, I had kinda toned down my vision of an awards ceremony, but I guess I hadn't realized just how bare bones this might be with only the two hosts naming the nominees and winners. No red carpet, no audience of stars, no winners' speeches . . . and most of all, no suspense! That's what I enjoy the most about the Oscars: when you have a highly competitive category, or when you have someone you're cheering on so strongly to win, the suspense increases to maddening levels right up to the moment the announcers' lips move to name the winner. There was hardly any of that last night when I watched the last 20 minutes of the Golden Globes.

You could easily argue that the Golden Globes had been reduced to its very essence, but without all the above-mentioned elements, a great deal seemed lacking. In short, it wasn't really any fun—as several others noted. Granted, I don't require the whole event to be glamorous and glitzy, but it is nice to see all of Hollywood come out and bear witness to the ceremony.

I just hope that, come next month's Oscar ceremony, the writer strike will either be resolved or that the ceremony will continue as planned—just off the cuff, rather than scripted.

On another interesting note, I caught some of the earlier evening's results on IMDb . . . and saw that some of the winners were announced there before they were even announced on TV! (Inside information, anyone?)

Golden Globes now a press conference

Courtesy of the writers strike, this Sunday's Golden Globes award ceremony has essentially been cancelled, in favor of a press conference style announcement of the major awards.

Normally I don't pay much attention to the Golden Globes, but with the writers strike affecting this awards show, I'm starting to grow concerned for February's Oscar ceremony—a concern shared by others, it seems.

The developments stand as an ominous sign for the Academy Awards, which are scheduled to air Feb. 24 on ABC. The writers guild refused to grant waivers for its members to work on the Oscars or the Globes.

Disrupting the awards show season, a huge promotional showcase for the entertainment industry, is one way the guild can flex its power and attempt to bring producers back to the table to resume talks that collapsed Dec. 7.

Oscar broadcast producer Gil Cates has vowed there will be a televised show, one way or another.

While I don't have strong feelings about the writers strike, I'm nevertheless crossing my fingers that it doesn't affect the Oscars next month. (Plus, if the Oscars do go press conference on me, it won't be much fun to live-blog.)

Once again, I spoke too soon

Yesterday I posted about how Oscar season is drawing near but nobody seems to be noticing, least of all me.

Now if I'd have only waited another day, I could have posted about how Oscar season is starting to come into swing, because with the Golden Globe nominees list out, Oscar buzz is starting to brew. IMDb has even put out a list of possible contenders!

Oscar season slowly approaches

It's been sitting in the back of my mind, a subtle knowledge that hasn't quite hit home yet—Oscar season is coming up, and I find myself in a very strange place: I don't have a particular film or actor to cheer for yet.

Usually by this time, I've jumped fully onto the Oscar bandwagon, am keeping tabs on potential nominees, and have found at least one picture or actor to be passionate about. Last year it was Forest Whitaker for Best Actor (Last King of Scotland) and Rinko Kikuchi for Best Supporting Actress (Babel). And the year before that it was either George Clooney (Syriana) or Matt Dillon (Crash) for Best Supporting Actor, and Crash for Best Picture.

But this year? So far, I'm coming up rather empty! Though if I had to pick any worthy contenders for acting, right now I can only think of two: Robert Downey, Jr. for Zodiac, and Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton, both in the Best Supporting Actor column. (And maybe, maybe Mark Ruffalo for Zodiac, also as Best Supporting Actor.) But these are just preferences right now, nothing to feel overly passionate about. Though I'd wholeheartedly champion, of all people, a Best Actor nomination for Adam Sandler for his stunning performance in Reign Over Me, but that's likely a long-shot nomination (even though he'd fully deserve said nomination, in my opinion).

I intend to live-blog the Oscar ceremony much like I did last year, but I can't help but wonder why my reaction to the approaching Oscar season has been somewhat muted. Perhaps it's because the films I've seen gracing the theaters lately haven't really excited me—which is kind of odd, because most films that want to get Oscar attention get released in December or January, thus capitalizing on their freshness at the box office to garner Oscar consideration. But I also wonder if it's because the Oscar campaigning and buzz haven't fully kicked into gear yet—which it ought to, considering that the nominees list is only six weeks away from being released.

Oscar-worthy roles that never received a nomination

Lately I've devoted a lot of thought to various movie roles that have been so powerful that, in my book, they should have warranted an Oscar nomination for that particular performer. I actually made a long list of them on IMDb as a suggested topic for voting/discussion, but I doubt it'll get posted or discussed. So for posterity, I'm posting my list here as well.

Best Actor:

• Fred MacMurray for Double Indemnity
• Gene Hackman for The Conversation
• John Candy for Planes, Trains & Automobiles
• Jeff Daniels for Gettysburg
• Robert De Niro for Heat
• Johnny Depp for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• Brad Pitt for Fight Club
• Edward Norton for Fight Club
• Guy Pearce for Memento
• Paul Giamatti for Sideways
• Hugh Jackman for The Fountain

Best Actress:

• Naomi Watts for Mulholland Dr.
• Uma Thurman for Kill Bill: Vol. 1
• Laura Dern for Inland Empire

Best Supporting Actor:

• Robert Shaw for The Sting
• Dennis Hopper for Blue Velvet
• R. Lee Ermey for Full Metal Jacket
• Vincent D'Onofrio for Full Metal Jacket
• Adam Baldwin for Full Metal Jacket
• Michael Rooker for Mississippi Burning
• James Earl Jones for Field of Dreams
• Jack Nicholson for Batman
• Ed Harris for Jacknife
• Wes Studi for The Last of the Mohicans
• Val Kilmer for Tombstone
• Kevin Pollak for The Usual Suspects
• Chazz Palminteri for The Usual Suspects
• Kevin Spacey for Se7en
• Gary Sinise for Ransom
• Bill Murray for Rushmore
• Joe Pantoliano for Memento
• Alexander Siddig for Syriana

Best Supporting Actress:

• Linda Hamilton for Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Alice Krige for Star Trek: First Contact
• Samantha Morton for Minority Report
• Meryl Streep for The Manchurian Candidate (this one I admit grudgingly, because I'm no Meryl Streep fan)