Oscar Watch: Editors Guild Film Nominees Skip 'The Help,' 'Tree of Life'

Forget any hope of "The Help" winning best picture on Oscar night. The American Cinema Editors (ACE)  nominations in nine categories in film, television and documentaries for the ACE Eddie Awards do not include the film. (Nominees are listed below. ) "The Descendants" now adds ACE to its near-perfect guild performance: SAG, PGA, DGA, WGA and ADG. With Oscar nomination ballots handed in, Sunday's Golden Globes telecast just promotes eventual Oscar nominees, while this announcement provides tea leaves to read. With ten nominees in two categories, drama and comedy, ACE nominees "My Week with Marilyn" and "Young Adult" are unlikely best picture candidates on Oscar nominations morning. And how many nominations will "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "War Horse" and "Bridesmaids" get?  Left off altogether are dramas "The Help," "The Tree of Life," "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy." I never expected "The Help," a likely best picture nominee, to score with the craft guilds. It's an actors picture.

ACE winners will be revealed during their 62nd annual awards show on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, hosted by actor/comedian Patton Oswalt. The editors guild, with its high overlap with the Academy editing branch, is one of the most predictive precursors to the Oscars. No film has won the Oscar for Best Picture without an ACE nomination since "Ordinary People" in 1981.  Final Ballots will be mailed on January 23 and voting ends on February 9.  Blue Ribbon panels judge all TV categories and the doc film category, while more than 600 ACE members vote for the Eddie winners.

NOMINEES FOR 62nd ANNUAL ACE EDDIE AWARDS

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):

The Descendants

Kevin Tent, A.C.E.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Angus Wall, A.C.E. & Kirk Baxter, A.C.E.

Hugo

Thelma Schoonmaker, A.C.E.

Moneyball

Christopher Tellefsen, A.C.E.

 War Horse

Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

 
BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):

The Artist

Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius

Bridesmaids

William Kerr & Michael L. Sale

Midnight in Paris

Alisa Lepselter

 My Week with Marilyn

Adam Recht

Young Adult

Dana E. Glauberman, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

The Adventures of Tintin

Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

Puss in Boots

Eric Dapkewicz

Rango

Craig Wood, A.C.E.

 
BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:

Curb Your Enthusiasm: “Mister Softee”

Roger Nygard

Curb Your Enthusiasm: “Palestinian Chicken”

Steven Rasch, A.C.E.

Modern Family: “Express Christmas”

Steven Rasch, A.C.E.

 
BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:

Breaking Bad: “End Times”

Kelley Dixon

Breaking Bad: “Face Off”

Skip MacDonald

 Friday Night Lights: “Always”

Angela M. Catanzaro

 The Good Wife: “Real Deal”

Hibah Frisina, A.C.E.

The Walking Dead: “Save the Last One”

Hunter Via, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:

Boardwalk Empire: “To the Lost”

Tim Streeto

Game of Thrones: “Baelor”

Frances Parker, A.C.E.

Homeland: “Pilot”

Jordan Goldman, David Latham

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:

Cinema Verite

Sarah Flack, A.C.E. & Robert Pulcini

Downton Abbey, Episode 1.1

John Wilson, A.C.E.

Mildred Pierce, Part 1  


Affonso Gonçalves & Camilla Toniolo

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY:


Cave of Forgotten Dreams


Joe Bini & Maya Hawke

Freedom Riders

Lewis Erskine & Aljernon Tunsil

George Harrison: Living in the Material World

David Tedeschi

BEST EDITED REALITY SERIES:

Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations: “Haiti”

Eric Lasby

Beyond Scared Straight : "Chowchilla"

Rob Goubeaux, A.C.E., Paul J. Coyne, A.C.E., Heather Abell, Audrey Capotosta, Maura Corey, Jeremy Gantz & Molly Shock

Whale Wars: “Race to Save Lives”

Eric Myerson, Pete Ritchie & Josh Crockett