"admit nothing"

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In the wake of the aforementioned Mark Gill column, I've thought about Barry Levinson's $20 million independent production "What Just Happened" more than once (recently unveiled one-sheet above). How fascinating that the film was supposed to take Sundance '08 by storm, but then never sold. I don't recall anyone calling the film a flop, but none of the buyers I spoke with were passionate enough about the movie to take the leap. GreenCine surveyed the early reactions shortly after the film's Sundance debut.

As iW reported back in Cannes where the film closed the fest: Mark Cuban, Todd Wagner and the WJH team wisely took the film in-house to their Magnolia Pictures arm, with former New Line exec Russell Schwartz on board to guide the release. Note that the one-sheet includes laurels touting the film's Cannes appearance, but no mention of Sundance...



nyt | little movies, big problems

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That Mark Gill article continues to make the rounds, landing as the subject of David Carr's Monday media business column in the New York Times. indieWIRE even got a shout-out.



mark gill | 100,000 readers

Despite my ongoing pride in the work done by everyone at indieWIRE, I try not to overhype iW here or anywhere else. That said, we were all quite amazed to learn today that the recent First Person article by Mark Gill (a transcript of his LA Film Festival speech) has been read nearly 100,000 times on the iW site in just four days. That's an astounding response. As iW contributor Eric Kohn IM'd to me today, regarding Gill's speech, "He might as well have delivered it to a stadium."

This afternoon at indieWIRE, we take a look at some of the responses that have emerged online since we published Gill's remarks.



end of "spring"

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Not long after posting it to his own site, Jamie Stuart has removed his latest short, "In Spring." Replacing the film at the previous link he has now posted a short message indicating that while he is not removing it for legal reasons, he didn't want to get anyone fired.

Continuing, he explains, "It is ironic, however, that a film made as an homage to several banned films, "Land Without Bread," in particular, is now being removed from official circulation."



where will pedro land?

Add to your tip sheet for Cannes '09... Pedro Almodovar's new film, "Los Abrazos Rotos" (Broken Embraces), which (according to Variety) goes into production later this month in Spain, starring Penelope Cruz.

I have absolutely no inside knowledge, but would be shocked if the film doesn't end up at Sony Pictures Classics for U.S. distribution, given their terrific ongoing relationship with Pedro for all of his recent work (Universal Studios and Focus Features International are backing and selling the film). I hope Almodovar is keeping a production diary again this time around...



open forum | are film critics facing extinction?

David Carr's New York Times article today on the recent loss of jobs for numerous established film critics is certainly worth discussing. Is the paid film critic an endangered species? From the Times:

“In each city there is a mosaic of voices,” [Tom Bernard] said, “with each reflecting the personality of the town and the readership. For us a movie like ‘The Lives of Others,’ ” -- the German-language winner of the 2006 foreign film Oscar -- “was dragged along by critics until people realized that it was one of the best movies of the year.”

But are print critics really so all-important and sacrosanct with the Web full of debates about all manner of film in places like indiewire.com, cinematical.com and blog.spout.com?

I'd argue that blogs and online outlets (such indieWIRE) are essential places for critical thought on film, but what is the impact on the broader film culture, and for discerning moviegoers in general, when there are fewer critical voices in print or employed by mainstream media outlets such as Newsweek, the Village Voice, Newsday?

I am really curious to hear the reactions of an array of folks here, including any ideas on what can or should be done to fill the potential gap? Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas? Reactions?

note: to control spam, comments are held and moderated, but all are released on a regular basis.



polanski doc: catch it (if you can)

These days, most buyers take new docs on the festival circuit and into limited theatrical release to pave the way for ancillary outlets like TV and DVD. Not so for HBO. The company's strategy for Marina Zenovich's Sundance '08 hit "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" became apparent over the weekend. As Defamer.com reported, the film is being quietly released in theaters right now to qualify the doc for Oscar consideration. But the release is not being hyped in anyway, apparently to preserve its PR potential for a cable TV premiere in June.

AMPAS recently changed its doc-qualifying rules, abandoning the need for a fourteen screen theatrical release to make a film Oscar eligible. I am guessing that doc filmmakers are generally happy with the new rules, but, something sure feels really empty when an acclaimed doc is silently screened in theaters. Why bother wasting the money? The Academy has tried to set a standard of honoring only theatrical docs, but many non-fiction films face a tough time getting a decent theatrical release, while those few that get an HBO deal reach a much wider audience via cable television.

Should AMPAS just lose the theatrical requirement altogether? Or maybe institute a festival screening policy, qualifying a film that is seen at a minimum of number of fest screenings by paying audiences? It just seems like the Academy's doc committee still hasn't gotten it right...

Thoughts?



ET drops ledger video

EW reports on ET, under fire from publicity firm ID PR, abandoning plans to screen a two-year old video of Heath Ledger reportedly doing drugs in Hollywood.



ET v. heath ledger

About an hour ago I received an email ID PR, criticizing Entertainment Tonight and The Insider's plans to air tomorrow a January '06 video of Heath Ledger at what they are calling a Hollywood "drug party." According to a three minute promo tonight, the tape, which will air soon on Channel 9 in Australia and is being covered in OK Magazine and People Magazine this week, apparently shows Ledger doing cocaine at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood two years ago. ID PR are encouraging email recipients to contact Linda Blue and Brad Bessey at Entertainment Tonight and Paramount to ask them to pull the video from the show. In their promo, ET and The Insider are inexplicably saying that the tape may offer insights into how Ledger died.

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Subject: Entertainment Tonight and Heath Ledger
Date: January 30, 2008 7:09:23 PM EST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Tonight Entertainment Tonight/The Insider are previewing an extremely distasteful segment regarding Heath Ledger.  The segment centers around a two-year old video ET purchased for a large sum of money in the hopes of stirring up a salacious and exploitive story about Heath, which would win them big ratings on the first day of sweeps. The two outlets did not even have the courtesy to wait until after Heath’s burial to broadcast this segment. They intend to air the full segment tomorrow.  

For the sake of his grieving family and friends, his child, and common decency, we hope to pressure Entertainment Tonight and The Insider to do the right thing and pull the spot.  This is not journalism, it is sensationalism. It is a shameful exploitation of the lowest kind, to a talented and gentle soul, undeserving of such treatment.

We are asking the Hollywood community to pressure Entertainment Tonight to pull the segment. Please take action so that Heath’s family can grieve in peace. Please forward this message to everyone you know and ask them to personally call Linda Bell Blue at Entertainment Tonight and Brad Bessey at Paramount to express their outrage and request Entertainment Tonight to pull the distasteful spot. Their information is listed below. Thank you.



strike-arazzi

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In just over a week of the WGA strike, the picket sign photo-op has already become de rigueur Hollywood. And on Tuesday, paparazzi will have their hands full. A press release tonight hyped the upcoming "Picketing with the Stars" at Universal Studios from Noon to 2 p.m., promising nearly 100 celebs.

Pictured: Striking "Juno" writer Diablo Cody on Anne Thompson's Variety blog.



"why we fight"

In four minutes, a swift look at the WGA's proposals over residuals for DVD and Internet downloads. or, in the words of the catchy clip, "what does the Internet have to do with you watching so many damned re-runs"?



in nyc | more manohla

Movie industry types are afraid of Manohla Dargis. I recently ran across a company exec who was crushed by her review of a new film from his company, while a PR exec at a different company said that she is always afraid when she hears that Manohla is reviewing one of her films. If you ask me, Dargis is an opinionated moviegoer who writes exceptionally well. She is a must-read critic. And even though it may drive some people crazy, I also appreciate when she ties her criticism to a broader examination of the business.

In a week when the heads of four different "classics divisions" complained to me at length about the current treachery surrounding the release of specialty movies, in a recent New York Times article she offered a statement that I firmly agree with. It may not provide answers, but its a truth that should inspire people to try things differently, or at least experiment a bit:

Cinemania is alive and well on the Internet, notably in blogs, where young movie nuts rant and rave and help cultivate one another’s cinematic interests. This is heartening, but film — especially the kind that distinguishes this year’s edition of the New York Film Festival — needs more than passion. It needs an audience, a paying public. If we don’t cultivate a new generation of movie lovers who get excited at the very idea of a Hou Hsiao-hsien film, we may as well hold a memorial service for foreign-language-film theatrical distribution right now.

You bring the flowers; I’ll bring the Scotch.



advocacy

With the publication of Agnes Varnum's article about the MOFTB's film permit rules, today indieWIRE is officially launching a new Advocacy section. Filmmakers have bemoaned the loss of organizations like AIVF that once made advocacy on important issues a top priority. Working with writers like Agnes we hope that this new section will contribute to keeping some of today's most pressing topics front and center. Please send along any comments, suggestions or ideas for the section. Thanks.



hits and misses at weekly box office

A few headlines worth noting from this week's indieWIRE box office column:

- Andrew Herwitz of The Film Sales Company calls successfully opening "Live-In Maid" himself, rather than selling it to a buyer, "a very eye-opening experience." He says that if he had to make the decision today, he told indieWIRE writer Steve Ramos that he would have released "My Architect" himself, rather than selling it to New Yorker Films.

- James Lewis from Warner Independent tells Steve Ramos that the company is pulling back on its release of "Introducing the Dwights," which it acquired at Sundance. He said, "When there are only eight people in the auditorium at shows we have to pull out as fast as we can."



update: harvey, holding out for cannes

hwbwiwSM.jpgHarvey may be down, but is he out?

Unlikely.

The crash-and-burn Easter weekend grosses for "Grindhouse" have had biz bloggers buzzing for the past 24 hours (STV even ranked the reportage). Just below the surface is the fact that the film's poor performance raises questions about the future of the young Weinstein Company in the wake of such a high-profile blunder.

In a timely piece today, Nikke Finke talks with Weinstein about the film's debut. He takes the blame and talks about a plan to resurrect the films via separate releases. Industry types will likely lament the "Grindhouse" performance in the coming weeks, but come Cannes, if all goes according to plan, the Weinsteins could be basking in the spotlight with both Wong Kar-Wai's "My Blueberry Nights" and Michael Moore's "Sicko" among the most anticipated fest titles and Weinstein promising he will be "back to being Harvey" in France...

We'll see if the new films deliver; they are the two I am currently most excited about...

UPDATE: In Thursday's NY Times, MIchael Cieply takes a closer look at the state of Weinstein Co. and Bob Weinstein tells him:

If "Grindhouse" had people asking " 'Wow, what's going on with the Weinstein Company?' " he said, "I'll use the opportunity to say, 'Wow, the kids are all right.' "



the future of "small movies"

Buried in yesterday's Variety story about the merger of Celluloid Dreams and Hanway Films is the following insight, noting that the new company -- Dreamachine -- will pull back from foreign language and arthouse "product" (as they call it):

"We can't any more carry these small movies. I feel I'm hurting my distributors by tempting them to go with these festival films, for which there's no economy today," [Hengameh Panahi] said.

That quote immediately jumped out at me and we immediately asked Anthony Kaufman to write a piece exploring a bit further. He spoke with Hengameh Panahi this morning and we expect to publish a story this afternoon...



buzzing over bad "barley" box office figures

With due respect to friends at IFC Films and Austin buddy Matt Dentler (who praised the performance of the film), incorrect grosses for Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" are currently posted online (at sites including Box Office Mojo and Variety). Numbers reported to indieWIRE by box office tracking service Rentrak, used to create an initial Top Ten last night, were also wrong.

The head of a rival company contacted indieWIRE this morning to warn us that the "Wind" numbers reported by IFC Films to Rentrak were wrong. indieWIRE immediately contated IFC and then Rentrak, but on both occasions IFC Films stood by their incorrect numbers. Still, the rival company executive maintained that the numbers did not match the "flash grosses" information for "Wind" released over the weekend. We decided to hold off on publishing indieWIRE's box office column and its accompanying chart today as planned until we could get an appropriate answer to our questions about the weekend numbers.

Late tonight, I reached IFC Films distribution head Mark Boxer who corrected the figures and apologized for any confusion. Boxer reports that the film made $69,279 over the weekend in the United States (or $124,474 on 40 screens in North America). The film has earned about $303,000 in the U.S. so far and $546,000 in North America.

We'll include the complete correct figures in our chart when we publish it on Wednesday.



tomlin does not heart o. russell

When directors attack...You won't find this behind-the-scenes clip on David O. Russell's "I Heart Huckabees" DVD. Its a clip of Lily Tomlin arguing with the director and then things really get out of control.



(entertainment) news war

hollywoodCHAINsm.jpgDid anyone else catch the latest edition of the Frontline series "News War" entitled "What's Happening to the News?" Last week's 90-minute episode depicted that dramatic changes facing newspapers today and the challenges our society must cope with as the number media outlets creating original content dwindles. The rise of blogs has created a lot of commentary, but added very little additional original journalism.

Such is also the case in the entertainment business. I couldn't help but think about the program today when I heard that Variety had poached two top editors from rival trade The Hollywood Reporter, on the same day that movie magazine Premiere announced it is halting its print publication. In this case, the moves underscore the shifting sands in industry biz and editorial coverage. HR has a legacy of Hollywood coverage and is clearly weakened by the departures after already facing a number of key staff cutbacks recently, meanwhile Variety is pushing heavily onto the internet of late, hiring Dana Harris to lead its site.

The Hollywood trades are facing challenges on two key fronts right now: original editorial from traditional print newsrooms that are aggresively covering the entertainment industry (NY Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal) and an array of blogs (some by former trade reporters) that offer timely buzz, gossip and opinion. Its going to be fascinating to see how it all plays out.



oscars go hollywood

MovieCityNews doesn't much care for David Carr's Oscar wrap-up in The New York Times today, calling it, "His Most Unfounded, Presumptuous, 20/20 Hindsight Piece Of The Season"...

In the persuasive piece, Carr underscores something I'd been thinking all day today... that is, that the Academy went Hollywood this year. Even so, it was great to see the acting prizes go to performances from an eclectic mix of movies ("The Queen," "Last King of Scotland," "Dreamgirls," and "Little Miss Sunshine"). Carr rounds out the piece with a quote from Sony Classics co-president Michael Barker:

"Last night proved that the Academy Awards is a major international event, as evidenced by the nominees from all over the world," said Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, a specialty division of Sony (which won best foreign-language film for "The Lives of Others"). "There were indies and foreign efforts that received a lot of recognition. But best picture, best director and best screenplay all went to a big studio film, which suggests that American films are still at the center of the culture."



oh yes, it really has begun

oscarSTAT07sm.jpgIn a post reminiscent of the recent "For Your Consideration," seemingly perennial Oscar prognosticator David Poland admits tonight that while he doesn't want to get into the next awards season, he is easily lured into one early pick, namely Johnny Depp in a film that is still in production. Noting that, "Word from the set about his performance - from multiple sources - is excellent," hilariously, Poland writes:

I believe now that Johnny Depp is a 95% bet to be nominated for Best Actor as the title character in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in a very, very crowded field of 2007 male movie performances… and an 80% chance to win."
Not sure how to do the math there, but it sounds like Depp should dust off his tux. And the fun keeps coming, Poland emphasizes, "Depp is like an aesthetic zit that actors are drooling to pop." Lovely. He's got my vote.

Finally, later in the blog post, Poland writes:

"Eddie Murphy as James 'Thunder' Early did stink of Oscar. And so does Depp as Sweeney Todd."

If I were at the studio that is backing "Sweeney Todd," I'd be terrified...this is beyond the type of early Oscar buzz that hurt "Dreamgirls" so badly, creating expectations that the film simply couldn't live up to (even if that buzz was based on 20 minutes from the film that were screened in Cannes).



oscar night...

Despite all of the talk about this being the international year at the Oscars, it was the studio picture (by far the highest grossing movie of the bunch) that was the really big winner at the Academy Awards. It certainly was Marty's night in Hollywood. I watched "The Departed" again last night and its quite a well done film. Yet, I still can't get past that extremely over the top last shot with the rat...

As for the Oscar show itself, producer Laura Ziskin got off to a great start, launching the program with a commissioned Errol Morris short and saluting all of the nominees, but by the time the clip segment directed by Michael Mann rolled, my patience had worn thin. AMPAS did a great job of showcasing the technique of moviemaking throughout the night, but over did it by trying to pack way too much into the show. It lasted nearly 4 hours!

Strikingly, the climate crisis was the issue of the night with hardly a reference to the war in Iraq. Jerry Seinfeld was quite funny, presenting the best doc Oscar...was that his audition to host next year's show? Ellen was a decent host, even when some of her jokes went over quietly. Her line of the night was probably, "If there weren't blacks, jews, or gays, there would be no Oscars...Or anyone named Oscar."

And as for the winners, I ended up with an OK showing on my personal Oscar pool, getting 18 out of 24 correct (I really should have had at least 20 this year). I underestimated the Academy's fondness for both "The Departed" and "Pan's Labyrinth" and overestimated its marginal interest in "Dreamgirls."



the red carpet

Is David Carr retiring from his excellent NY Times blog, The Carpetbagger? I really hope not, he's been a wonderful part of awards season, but in a recent post today, he pledges that today's red carpet duty at the Oscars will be his last. And for more, today he offers a terrific look at his life on the party circuit the past few months in an NYT dispatch, Red Carpet Confidential.

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[Penelope Cruz on the red carpet at AFI Fest earlier this year... I pissed a carpet guard by taking these shots and also angered photographers when she waved at me enthusiastically, ruining a bunch of photos...]

Brian Brooks and I from indieWIRE always reject invitations to cover the red carpet at film events (we also generally pass on press junkets), our overall policy is essentially that we need to be invited to attend an event to actually cover it (call us crazy, thats just us). As Carr explains perfectly, in part here's why:

The rope, which over the course of the season was followed by drapes, hedges and barriers, was there to remind me that even though the people on the carpet are friendly, they are not my friends. Reporters get to dress up and stand adjacent to, never on, the carpet. Yes, they sometimes take apart the human jewelry before them. Who told her she could get away with that dress? But by any analysis, the reporters are at the bottom of the pile.



final oscar predictions (and, who i'd vote for)...

OK, after months of Oscar prognosticating for Movie City News, we're finally at the end of the road.

I don't know that I'll be in an Oscar pool this year, so I just put together my own list of final predictions, along with the name of the film/person I'd actually vote for if I had the chance (in all but a couple of categories where I haven't seen enough of the films).

UPDATE: On Sunday afternoon, I made 2 last minute prediction changes (these are final as of 12:17 p.m. PT).

» Continue reading "final oscar predictions (and, who i'd vote for)..."


find accountability

indieSM.jpgYesterday's front page LA Times story criticizing Film Independent for its program-spending ratio and the categorization of the Spirit Awards as a charitable event is stirring an indirect backlash from supporters of FIND. In a blog post today, Hollywood Reporter's Anne Thompson cites Tom Bernard from Sony Pictures Classics as saying that in the article, "someone with a right-wing agenda was going after indie cinema" (and Thompson also noted that the paper's Calendar section was angry about the article). The paper is a major supporter of FIND's Los Angeles Film Festival.

A big headline for some will be FIND head Dawn Hudson's $265,000 annual salary. While that does seem like a lot of money for a non-profit to pay a leader, particularly when many other tireless supporters of indie film make far less, the salary is public knowledge via tax filings and one that other non-profits (and at least some of those in the media) were well aware of for a long time. To anyone who's ever questioned me about her salary in the past, I've always noted that Dawn is a tireless advocate for her organization and she is also well-respected within the industry. I've always praised the hard work of Hudson and her staff -- I typically see it up close at two annual events: the Spirits and the LA Film Fest.

The fact is that "independent film" today is deep and wide and tall and on Spirit Awards day, its pretty amazing that FIND has found a way to (literally) fit it all under one tent, even it if feels like an awkward fit at times. Dawn deserves a lot of credit for pulling it off, but it also makes her org and the event a large target. As for the article, I'd say it raises legitimate questions and offers a way to at least consider the work of FIND and other member groups, but I've yet to poll others in the non-profit field about the issues. As a reporter, I hope FIND will remain open to such conversations. More on all of this down the road...



and the oscar goes to...

One more Guru's o' Gold survey, in which we make our final best picture prediction. And Movie City News also links to our final predictions, which are not so recent... I plan to change a few predictions on my final personal ballot, but I am sticking with "Babel," its my favorite of Oscar's final five and it deserves the prize more than the others. That said, other than "The Queen" (which I like) I really won't be surprised if any of the other best picture nominees win.



"babel" v. "sunshine"?

oscarhand.jpgOscar night is just a few days away and many consider the race for best picture simply too close to call. On the latest edition of Movie City News' Guru's o' Gold, I'm picking "Babel" as the Oscar winner for best picture, with "Little Miss Sunshine" as the #2 choice, but over the weekend I've been second-guessing myself. I'm starting to feel like "Little Miss Sunshine" will ultimately win the big prize...But what about all the buzz for "The Departed," and the talk that "Letters from Iwo Jima" may surprise everyone... I'm heading to L.A. tomorrow, so maybe the word on the streets out in California will help my predictions.

Meanwhile, there are a number of blogs to follow for the latest insights. The best new one is Gold Lies by Peter Knegt (who worked with us in Toronto this year, as I recall its part of a university project...his first post is required reading for all Oscar fans), and of course there's all the popular ones like David Carr's The Carpetbagger (my all-round fav), David Poland's The Hot Blog, Jeffrey Wells' Hollywood Elsewhere, Sasha Stone's Oscar Watch, Tom O'Neill's The Envelope, Kris Tapley's InContention, and, of course, the official Oscar.com (a site I worked on for four years back in mid-90s when I was at ABC TV).



gurus 02.02

oscarhand.jpgBack in September, the MCN Gurus o' Gold had (mostly sight unseen) "Flags of Our Fathers", "Dreamgirls," Babel," "The Good German," and "The Queen" as the Top 5 front-runners for a best picture Oscar. Well, now we know who the contenders are, and over at MCN, a group of us have weighed in with our predictions for half of the Oscar categories, including best picture, actor, actress, director, screenplay, documentary and foreign language film. We'll see how our guesses change as the race progresses in the coming days. In about 3 weeks it'll all be over...



beware of blogs?

Something has been bugging for the past week or so and that is the recent recklessness of film blogs. In an effort to be first with the latest news, respectable journalists have played fast and loose with the facts, specifically in their blogging about Sundance this year. A few examples:

» Continue reading "beware of blogs?"


and the nominees are...

The full list of nominees is available here at indieWIRE.com.

The big surprises:
- 6 nominations for "Pan's Labyrinth"
- "Dreamgirls" leads with 8 nods, but no best picture
- No nomination for "Volver" in foreign language category

Reactions? Thoughts? Surprises?



gurus o' globes

oscarhand.jpgThe latest Movie City News Oscar prognostication survey includes predictions for tonight's Golden Globes, the HFPA's awards show that means nothing and everything at the same time. Also posted at MCN is our group's latest predictions for the best picture race, ranking the 10 films we each see as contenders for the top Oscar (my ballot is below).

» Continue reading "gurus o' globes"


dessert with the critics

nyfccSMsq.jpgDespite being in the final stage of an annoying cold, I was ready for some time away from my apartment on Sunday night, so I headed around the corner to The Supper Club on 47th St. for the New York Film Critics Circle awards dinner (big surprise, this year it was an awards dessert...)

Moments after arriving, it was great to run into a friendly face, namely "Capote" director Bennett Miller, back this year to introduce best doc winner Amy Berg ("Deliver Us From Evil"). Bennett won the best first film prize from the NY critics last year and is busy popping back and forth between NY and LA, putting together a few new film projects. He also offered me a few tips on turning 40 (luckily, I still have another 22 months before that happens)... eventually we cornered this year's best first film recipient Ryan Fleck, pulling him away from his conversation with ThinkFilm's Mark Urman and NY Times critic A.O. "Tony" Scott... [check out Fleck receiving his prize from "Half Nelson" star Ryan Gosling in a clip I posted on YouTube last night]

On Sunday night, with or without dinner, stars and filmmakers were more than happy to mix and mingle with journalists, since Oscar nominations ballots aren't due for another few days and everyone is anxious for a bit of last minute attention...publicists were everywhere to grease the wheels and as one noted, there were probably more publicists than critics on hand.

» Continue reading "dessert with the critics"


gurus: picture and prayers

oscarhand.jpgOk, I've had a nasty cold for the past 5 days or so and today was the first day where I almost felt normal...so I am a bit late posting this link to the latest Gurus o' Gold survey from Movie City News. If you are already sick of awards season then you'll want to skip this post, 'cause this is the heart of Oscar buzz season...Academy ballots were mailed the day after Christmas and the polls close on Saturday (January 13).

For this Gurus poll, we were asked to again rank the top ten films as we see them in the minds of Oscar voters for best picture (not our personal favorites), and we were also asked to offer up five "prayers to the Academy" for the nominations we hope the members won't miss...

In my mind, the best picture category is almost locked, but keep an eye on that 5th spot. As for the "prayers", my five choices are all highly deserving, but I wonder if more than one of them will actually get a nomination?

My Gurus ballot is below, thoughts? (c'mon, I know some of you are following this stuff... please share your predictions/prayers)

» Continue reading "gurus: picture and prayers"


gurus: picture & supporting actor/actress

oscarhand.jpgOver at Movie City News, a group of us are still playing along prognosticating what will be nominated for an Oscar in about four weeks. The latest Gurus o' Gold awards season survey was posted this week, looking at best picture along with best supporting actor/actress (and my full ballot is included below). Keep in mind these are supposed to be the films that players predict will be nominated, not our personal favorites.

The more I think about it, at this moment its feeling a lot like a "Dreamgirls" sweep in those two categories: Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy... We'll see how it progresses, thoughts?

» Continue reading "gurus: picture & supporting actor/actress"


gurus: post-globes

oscarhand.jpgDo the Golden Globe nominations really matter in the race for Oscar? Increasingly, people seem to be saying they really don't...certainly, its an honor to be singled out for a prize, but when the accolade comes from a dubious organization with a membership filled mostly with questionable members, whats the point?

No matter, its awards season and over at Movie City News, a group of us are playing along prognosticating what will be nominated for an Oscar next month. The latest Gurus o' Gold awards season survey was posted on Friday (and my full ballot is included below). Keep in mind these are supposed to be the films that players predict will be nominated, not our personal favorites.

» Continue reading "gurus: post-globes"